


Torn between two earths

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Series: Two earths [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 03, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers Family, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Barry joins the Avengers, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Character Development, Developing Relationship, Dimension Travel, F/M, Minor Barry Allen/Iris West, Multiverse, Post-Episode: s03e07 Killer Frost, With A Twist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-01 16:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 64
Words: 113,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12708864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: Goes AU after 3x07. Overwhelmed by everything that had happened because of Flashpoint, Barry goes for a run and accidentally goes to the MCU during the final stand against Ultron. Stranded, Barry finds a new family in the Avengers but what happens when his old family comes looking for him? Read to find out.





	1. The opening

**Author's Note:**

> I know the last thing I need to be doing is starting another story, but I really wasn't able to focus on my other stories until I at least started this.
> 
> I know there have been a few 'Barry goes to the MCU' stories, but I wanted to try my hand at one. For the sake of the story, Barry had his deal with Julian before he talked with Cisco.

_"My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. And I made a terrible mistake. I reset the timeline and the people I love have suffered for it. Especially my two best friends. But that is where our story begins."_

Star Labs

Night

"Cisco, you're my best friend man. So...are we gonna be okay?" Barry asked almost hesitantly.

Barry had never regretted anything in his life more than he regretted Flashpoint. If he had known then what his actions would cost Cisco and Caitlin, he would never have saved his mother. But he couldn't take it back, only deal with the consequences. Which he was doing right now, Barry mused as Cisco turned around in his chair, an unreadable look on his normally cheerful face.

"Do you want the truth?" Cisco asked stoically.

"Yeah." Barry said but had a feeling he wasn't going to like the answer.

"I don't know." Cisco admitted.

It wasn't the answer Barry had wanted but he knew that it was foolish to expect less. So Barry simply nodded before turning and walking out.

Barry put on his suit and speed out, needing to go for a run. He ran to escape it all. The guilt over Flashpoint, his anger over being forced to quit CSI, his guilt over Caitlin and his despair over the loss of his friendship with Cisco. He ran and ran and ran, faster then he had ever run before. He didn't think, he didn't feel, he just lost himself to the feel of the speed. Then the blue portal opened up in front of him.

Barry couldn't stop and ran through it. He sped out and tried to stop, skidding to a halt as best he could. It was at that point that Barry saw the army of metal men and the group of people fighting them.

"Where the hell am I?" Barry wondered to himself.

Barry saw a green monster running through the streets, roaring as it fought the metal men, a man firing an arrow at them as well. But it was the girl dressed in red, cowering among the fleeing civilians that had Barry`s attention. Her hands seemed to be glowing with red energy and the look on her face. It was the same look Barry got when he thought of Flashpoint. Guilt, self loathing, and fear.

He saw some of the metal men aim their weapons at the girl and instinct took over. He sped over, grabbed her and sped them away. As the metal men fired at them, Barry and the girl were sent crashing through a window, landing painfully on the floor.

"You alright?" Barry asked as he pulled himself to his knees.

This is all our fault." She said, eyes wide with terror and guilt.

"Yeah, I blame myself for things to," Barry said and she looked up at him for the first time, "I don't know what's going on here, I don't know who you are, I don't even know where I am. What I do know is that we are under attack by an army of robots. And I'm freaking out, but I am going back out there to fight because that is my job. You can stay here and hide, or you can come out there with me to make things right. Your choice."

His piece said, Barry stood up and sped out, ready to face this army of robots.


	2. Chapter 2

Sokovia  
Day

Barry ended up fighting alongside the not Oliver archer. Barry was no expert in archery and wouldn't pretend to be so, but he would guess that this guy was just as good as Oliver, maybe even better, as he hit all his targets. Vibrating his arm, Barry cut through a metal man clean, but another showed up, forcing Barry and the archer back to back as even more metal me surrounded them.

"Every time we take out one, two more show up!" Barry said frustrated.

"Tell me about it kid!" The archer told him and Barry could hear the same frustration in his voice that was in Barry's.

Suddenly, a pair of doors opened up behind them and the girl from earlier walked out. Her eyes and hands glowing with red energy, she moved them around in a whirling motion. One of the robots glowed red, splitting in half. The girl motioned to one side and a half of the robot crashing into another robot. Smiling, Barry red off , vibrating his arm and cutting clean through a robot. The archer fired off a few arrows as Barry continued slicing through robots. The arrows completely destroyed the robats, leaving only one. Barry sped over, grabbed an arrow off the ground, and threw it at the robot. It it sailed through the air, hitting the robot in the chest. It tore out what looked like a metal heart and the robot dropped to the ground, dead.

"Nice," The archer said, "and you are?"

"I'm The Flash," Barry said only to get a blank look in return, "You haven't heard of me?"

"Should I?" The archer asked and Barry suddenly understood.

"Oh not again!" Barry groaned, realizing he had once again traveled to another Earth.

"What?" The archer asked completely lost as the girl looked at him confused.

"If we live through this, I'll explain everything." Barry promised.

"I'll hold you to that," The Archer nodded before looking over at the girl, "nice of you to join us. Welcome to the Avengers."

"The Avengers?" Barry said confused and both his allies looked at him stunned.

"You haven't heard of me? Of Cap? Thor?" The archer said and Barry was becoming even more confused.

"Like I said, it's a long story that I'll explain later." Barry told him.

"Alright," The archer said looking at him wearily before tapping his ear, most likely activating a comms piece, "We're all clear here."

A pause passed before the archer spoke again.

"Alright, on our way." The archer said.

Suddenly, there was a blue energy trail as a man with silver hair sped in. Yes, sped in. Not quite as fast as Barry or Wally, but a lot faster than the average human. He picked up the girl, smirking at the archer.

"Too slow old man." He said before speeding off.

"You guys have a speedster here? Would have been nice to know." Barry smiled before speeding off after them.

Barry kept paced with the other speedster, the pair of them speeding in front of some local law enforcement who were in a fire fight with some metal men. The girl jumped down to her feet and motioned with her glowing hands. The metal men were torn to pieces when Barry heard a gun shot. Barry looked over and saw a bullet about to hit the other speedster. Barry sped over and tackled the other speedster out of the way.

"On speedster to another: Be more careful." Barry said as he helped the speedster up.

"Will do," the speedster said gratefully and Barry noticed he had the same accent as the girl, "Pietro. You've already met my sister Wanda."

"I'm Barry." Barry introduced himself as he shook Pietro's hand.

"If you two are done wasting time, we should get these people to safety." Wanda said as they dropped hands.

"She's right." Barry agreed and Pietro smirked.

"Bet I can get more than you." Pietro challenged and Barry smirked, feeling a budding excitement he had not felt in a long time.

"Wanna bet?" Barry taunted before the two speedsters sped off.

After getting the people to safety, he and Pietro headed to the edge of the town. Which is when Barry realized the land they were on was floating. Just when he thought he'd seen it all. As he came over to the edge, Barry saw whet looked like a giant metal mass flying up to their level. Barry sped over to Pietro, who was with a red haired woman dressed in black and a man dressed in a suit tha consisted of red, white, and blue with a shield with matching colors and a star in the middle.

"This is Shield?" Pietro asked.

"This is what Shield is supposed to be." Mr. America said.

"This is not so bad." Pietro decided as the metal mass docked at the edge of the town.

"Let's load it up." Mr. America ordered before he and the red head spotted Barry.

"This is Barry, he's with us." Pietro said and they eyed him before shrugging.

"Well, we can use all the help we can get. Stay with Pietro." Mr. America, clearly the leader here, ordered.

Barry nodded, deciding since he didn't really know what was going on here, it would be best to follow his orders. Barry and Pietro sped off and Barry smirked. He really was faster, something which clearly annoyed Pietro. They helped people to the metal mass, which Barry realized was some kind of ship. They did this for some time before Pietro called out to Barry.

"Barry! We need to go!" Pietro ordered before speeding off.

Barry frowned before following his speedster ally. Barry followed Pietro to a metal mass where two people, A large, muscular man with long blonde hair dressed in a sleeveless black t-shirt and a pair of jeans with a hammer and a humanoid male with red skin dressed in only a cape were fighting off some Metal men. Barry and Pietro sped in, Barry vibrating his arm and cutting clean through a whole arc of metal men as Mr. America, Wanda, the archer and a man who was wearing what looked like an improved version of Ray's Atom suit burst in as all the Metal Men were destroyed.

"Who's Red here?" Not Ray asked.

"He's with us. That's all we need to know." Mr. America said as The redhead burst in through a hole in the wall.

"What's the drill?" She asked.

"The drill is that," Not Ray said as he gestured to the device just behind them, "Ultron gets his hand on the core, we lose."

loud, animalistic roar pierced the air as the Green Monster burst in and since no one else was freaking out, Barry figured he was one of the good guys. A single Metal Man, who Barry assumed was Ultron, floated down to their level.

"Is that the best you can do!? Hammer Man shouted.

With a smirk, or what looked like a smirk, Ultron gestured forward. Suddenly, dozens, maybe hundreds, of Ultron suddenly flew up behind him. Barry suddenly realized they were surrounded with no way out.

"You had to ask." Mr. America grumbled to Hammer Man.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted: All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron said amused.

"Like the old man said," Not Ray looked over at Mr. America, "together."

All the Ultron rushed them and Barry and his new allies attacked. Barry and Pietro rushed around at super speed, Barry vibrating his arms to slice through the Metal Men's metal skin to decapitate them, tear in pieces, or to just phase through and remove there hearts. It became a mess of metal limbs as Barry and his allies fought off the metal men. It didn't take long for them to push the Ultron out of the stone structure. Not Ray, Mr. Hammer, and the humanoid followed them out and shot off beams, Not Ray from his suit's hands, Hammer Man from his hammer, and the Humanoid from the gem on his forehead, all three beams converging on Ultron. For several seconds, it was a stand off, the three putting every once of power they had on Ultron. Barry and Pietro ran out, pursuing the Ultron. Barry ran in a circle, building p the electric charge before grabbing hold of the lighting. He threw it at the means, adding his own power to the others. It seemed to do it, as Ultron exploded. The remaining Ultron ran, flying off the floating land they were on. But The humanoid, Not Ray, and Mr. Hammer all flew up after them.

"Barry!" Barry turned back as Mr. America, The archer, and the redhead approached. "Get to the boat, this place is about to go down."

"What about Wanda?" Barry questioned.

"She'll be fine kid, let's go unless you wanna end up a pancake." The archer told him.

Barry looked back at Wanda in the structure but she nodded at him. So Barry turned and sped off, hearing the green monster roaring in the distance. As he neared the boat, he saw a few more Ultron. So he sped over, vibrating his arm, and cut them both in in half. As they fell to the ground, dead or as close as a robot can be to dead, Barry sighed.

"This was so not how I envisioned my day going." Barry grumbled.

Suddenly, Barry heard what sounded like blasts from a blaster. Barry whipped his head around to see some sort of small rang fighter that looked like it was something out of Star Wars firing blasts at Mr. America and Hammer Man. However, that wasn't Ultron's real target, Barry realized with a sinking feeling as he saw it head towards the archer, who was defenseless as he clutched a young boy to him. Barry sped towards them at the same time that Pietro, who was much closer to them, did. The two speedsters reached the archer and boy, standing in front of them just as the small fighter opened fire on them and it all went to black.


	3. Barry's new reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry awakens to his new reality as he answers some questions and gets some disheartening news.

Avenger's Tower, med bay  
Morning

Barry groaned as he regained consciousness. Barry started to sit up but hissed as a pain shot through his chest.

"Easy son, you almost died. Give it some time." A male voice that vaguely familiar spoke up.

Barry looked over and saw Mr. America, now dressed in a black T-shirt, brown leather jacket, and jeans, sitting in a chair by his bedside. In the doorway, Barry could see a man in suit with dark hair and a beard watching them, more specifically Barry, as though waiting for Barry to jump up and attack.

"Where am I? What happened?" Barry asked and noticed his throat was scratchy, as though he hadn't had water for several days.

"Here, have a drink," Mr. America handed him a glass of water and Barry quickly gulped it all down, "before I answer your questions, I have a few of mine, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead." Barry said after finishing the glass and Mr. America took it, setting it on a dresser next to Barry's bed.

"Now, Clint tells me you have no idea who we are but that there's an explanation for that. I'd sure like to hear it." Mr. America said and Barry nodded.

"Have you heard of the multiple universe theory?" Barry asked.

"Can't say I have." Mr. America said.

"I have," the man in the doorway finally spoke up, "its the theory that there are an infinite number of universes, of earths, that all exist in the same reality."

"Well, it's a bit more than a theory," Barry said and was met with two puzzled looks, "these other universes, other earths all exit in the same place but vibrate at a different frequency. But if you can manipulate the energies of the multiverse or, in my case, move fast enough to go through them, you create what is called a breach, a portal between these different earths."

"And let me guess, you're from one of these other earths?" The man by the doorway asked and Barry nodded.

"Yeah, I honestly got here by accident. I was running and the portal opened up and I couldn't stop in time." Barry explained and Mr. America nodded.

"Well, I speak for my team when I say that we are glad you did. Things may have turned out a lot worse if you hadn't. My name is Steve Rogers and this is my friend and collogue Tony Stark." Steve introduced himself and the memory of racing to the archer and boy came back.

 

"The archer and the boy, Pietro, are they...?" Barry trailed off.

"Clint, the archer, is just fine, so's the boy. Pietro...well, that's another story," Steve sighed and Barry's blood ran cold, "he's alive, but he's in a coma."

"My god." Barry put a hand to his face, hating that he wasn't able to do anything for his fellow speedster.

"Don't beat yourself up, you being there may have saved his life." Steve assured him and Barry sighed.

"So, is there any chance he'll wake up?" Barry asked hesitantly.

"Don't know," Tony said as he finally walked in, "could be six weeks, could be six years. The doctors are hopeful he'll wake up one day though."

"You got lucky Barry," Steve told him, "the chest plate on your chest took most of the damage."

"Chest plate?" Barry asked paling.

"Yeah, it protected you from the brunt of the blast. If not, you'd be dead kid. Although I am curious about the device under it." Tony said curiously.

"Is, is repairable?" Barry asked lowly and the two looked at him curiously. "The device."

"Kid, that thing was blown to pieces. You'd have a better chance trying to drain the Atlantic with a straw." Tony said and Steve began to notice something was wrong.

"Barry, what is it? Steve asked concerned.

"That device...it's what made me fast enough to travel through the different earth's." Barry said lowly and suddenly, the two Avengers understood Barry's dilemma.

"And without it, you can't get home." Steve said and Barry nodded.

"Well, I can take a look at the parts, see if we can build a new one." Tony offered but Barry shook his head.

"Without a specific component, it won't have the same effects. I'm trapped here...I can't get home." Barry said, falling back into the bed in pure despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I stopped it there, the chapters will start to get longer starter from the next one.
> 
> The reason I have Pietro in a coma is because, to be perfectly honest, I had no plans when I first started the story to include him, I was gonna kill him off like in the movie. But, I decided Wanda doesn't deserve that and this way, I can bring him in at any time.


	4. Moving on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry, with some help from Clint, makes a decision on what to do with his new reality.

Avenger's tower, med bay  
Afternoon

Barry sat in his bed, not moving. After learning he was trapped on this earth, depression had quickly taken hold of him. On any other day, he would say that his friends would come for him. But, given Cisco's response to Killer Frost's attempted murder of him had been to simply tell him to warm himself up by vibrating, not even bothering to check on him, Barry wasn't feeling so optimistic.

Barry was picking at his food that the nurse brought him when he heard someone walk in. Barry looked up to see the archer, Clint Barry thought his name was, walk in and sit down in the chair next to his bed. It was silent for several moments before Clint spoke.

"So, looks like you're gonna be okay." Clint said and Barry shrugged.

"If by trapped on an earth with no way home, yah, I'm just fine," Barry said sarcastically and Clint grimaced, "Speedsters heal fast. At least on my earth."

"Multiple earths, never would have imagined." Clint mused and Barry chuckled grimly.

"Well, at least you're still on yours." Barry said sarcastically and Clint nodded.

"I know this must be hard, I won't pretend to know what it's like for you," Clint said and Barry finally looked up at him, "but I want to ask you something. You have people you love back on your earth, right?"

"Oh course." Barry said immediately, thinking of Joe, Iris, Caitlin, Wally, Cisco, Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity.

"Well, if they saw you right now, would they want you to just be moping around?" Clint asked bluntly.

Barry opened and closed his mouth but no sound came out. He sat there, dumbfounded, as he realized Clint was right. They would probably be screaming at him to get out of bed if they saw him right now. Oliver would probably beat the crap out of him as he dragged Barry out of bed.

"Like I said, I'm not gonna pretend to know what you're going through. But the way I see it, you've got two choices kid," Clint said as he stood up, "stay in bed and be depressed for the rest of your life, or you can get off your ass and try to move on. I'm not saying forget your old life, because you shouldn't, it made you who you are. but you need to decide right now if you wanna live or if you just want to crawl up into your hole of self pity and die. Your choice Barry."

Clint turned and walked out, leaving Barry alone with his thoughts. He had lost everyone and everything he cared about, he could never make things right with Caitlin or Cisco, would never see them or Joe or Iris again. And yet...Clint was right, they would not want him to give up on life. Barry looked over to the side, seeing the set of clothes Steve had supplied for him on the dresser in the room. Barry would never forget his old life, but Clint was right. He had to at least try to move on, if for no other reason than it was what his friends and family would want.

After changing into the red T-shite, blue jeans, and red tennis shoes, Barry walked out of his room, making his way down the hall when he passed a room. Barry paused, looking inside. Wanda was sitting in the chair by Pietro's bed side. Pietro was hooked up to various machines, a breathing tube down his throat. The only sound in the room was the beeping of the machines. Barry hesitated briefly before entering the room.

"Hey," Barry said and Wanda practically jumped, whirling around as she saw him, "sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

 

"It is alright." Wanda relaxed before sitting back down, resuming looking at her brother's face.

"Has there been any change?" Barry asked, noticing the begs under Wanda's eyes.

"No. He is the same as when he was brought here." Wanda said glumly and Barry sighed.

"I'm sorry," Barry said and she looked over at him confused, "If I had just gotten there a few seconds earlier-"

"It was Ultron," Wanda was quick to assure him, "not you. You cannot blame yourself."

Barry nodded, not quite believing her but deciding not to argue.

"Have you slept since you got here? Or eaten?" Barry asked curiously.

"I am fine." Wanda insisted and Barry stared at her incredulously.

"I don't know you two that well, but I don't think Pietro would want you to waste away worrying over him." Barry told her and Wanda paused, mulling over his words.

"You may be right. And I am hungry." Wanda admitted as she got to her feet.

"Good," Barry smiled, "so...where's the kitchen?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is still on the short side, but next chapter we skip to after the end scene of Age of Ultron, so we start to see Barry interact with the other Avengers more.


	5. Barry's new life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Barry tries to move on, something brings home a hard truth.

Avenger's compound  
Morning

Time seemed so much longer for a speedster than anyone else on the planet. Yet it still surprised Barry how much time had passed since he had come to this new earth. Just under a month since he had arrived on this earth, a little over three weeks since he had decided not to be depressed and joined The Avengers, and two weeks since he and the other Avengers had moved into the compound. During that time, Barry had gotten to know his new teammates/housemates.

Steve was a soldier from World War Two who had been frozen in a plane crash into the Artic ocean. Steve was vague in the details of that and Barry didn't push the issue. In a lot of ways, Steve reminded Barry of Oliver, willing to make the hard choices as a leader but also willing to do whatever it took to save his team. And other times, he reminded Barry of himself, lost in a world he didn't entirely understand as Barry had when his mother died, forever mourning a life he couldn't get back to, feeling like he had to look out for everyone, not wanting to lose anyone else. Barry guessed Steve was this world's attempt to roll himself and Oliver into one person.

The redhead was Natasha Romanoff, the internet revealed she was a former assassin for Russia who had defected to America. Now, she reminded Barry a lot of Oliver when he had first met the archer. She was extreme, ruthless, and paranoid. And she could also kick his ass if he wasn't careful. She had begun training him in ways to defend himself outside of just using his speed, along side Steve that is.

"You're fast, that's all. Someone takes away your speed, you're dead." Natasha had told him when he's protested.

He'd had nothing to say in response, because she was right. Every time Barry had lost his speed, he's been left utterly helpless. So Barry didn't complain, just learned from Steve and Natasha without a complaint or whine. Although he's never been more grateful that his speed came with accelerated healing, otherwise he'd never get rid of the bruises Natasha left during training.

The red humanoid was called Vision. He was even harder for Barry to get a read on than Natasha. He was a very private person and didn't seem to like to talk. However, for some reason, Barry got very creeped out when he would look at Wanda. Something in Barry just screamed 'stalker alert' when he saw that. And he idly wondered if he acted like that with Iris before becoming The Flash. Which brought a whole set of questions Barry did not want to deal with.

Clint came and went as he pleased. He didn't say where he went and it wasn't any of Barry's business. Although Clint did remind Barry of a more smartass version of Oliver.  
Tony reminded Barry of Ray, except, from what he had discovered about Tony online, was more successful and arrogant than Ray had ever been. Although Barry was a little concerned about Tony basically being a war profiteer before Iron Man, but he guessed everyone had a past. He also came and went as he pleased, although he promised Barry he had something for him next time he came.

He'd also met two new teammates: Sam Wilson and James Rhodes, who preferred to be called Rhodey. Sam seemed like the Diggle to Steve's Oliver and Rhodey the Cisco to Tony's Barry. Rhodey was alright, although he seemed to have a more black and white view of things, something Barry had learned wasn't always helpful. He got along with Sam better, found Sam to be a fun guy.

But the person he had spent the most time with was Wanda. Maybe it was out of a sense of guilt over failing to save Pietro (Who was still in his coma) or out of obligation to his fellow speedster. But whatever the reason, he and Wanda spent most of there time together when not training of spending time with there new team. He liked spending time with her, he felt a certain kinship with her that he didn't feel with the others except maybe with Steve. But still, it wasn't the same with Wanda.

She reminded him of himself after his mother had died, he's seen the signs from personal experience, of how Joe and Iris would worry about him closing himself off. So Barry did his best to make sure Wanda didn't close herself off, made sure she didn't sped so much time by her brother's bedside. He didn't keep her away, like his father and Joe had tried to keep him away from Iron Heights, But he also didn't let her obsess over it like he had obsessed over his mom's death and getting his dad out of Iron Heights, he had learned from his own mistakes, as well as Joe's with him. He made sure Wanda was interacting with the rest of the team, that she was still trying to live her life. And when he wasn't worrying about her, or training, he was getting to know her. With each new thing he learned about Wanda, such as letting her cry over the trauma she and her brother had endured in part to Tony's company, or hearing her laugh at stories of her brother's antics, he felt his attachment to Wanda grow stronger.

Barry was currently in the kitchen, having breakfast with Wanda and Sam.

"So wait, Disney bough Star Wars three years earlier?" Barry asked stunned and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, but they ruined it. If anyone asks if you wanna see the Last Jedi, don't. It's horrible." Sam warned as Natasha walked in, sitting down as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"Hey kid," Natasha said, her little pet name for Barry bringing a sigh from him, "Cap wants to see you in the meeting room."

"Did he say why?" Barry asked and Natasha shrugged.

"Something about Tony." She said as she reached for the milk.

"Well that was helpful." Barry said sarcastically even as he walked out of the kitchen.

Barry met Steve in the meeting room, he was sitting down as Tony stood there as well.

"Hey Allen, how's it going?" Tony greeted, waving.

"Not bad, all things considering. So what's going on guys?" Barry asked, noting Tony looked absolutely giddy.

"Can I tell him. No you tell him. No, I'm telling him," Tony had a one-sided conversation with an amused Steve before turning to Barry, "I built a suit for you."

"What?" Barry asked confused as Tony pulled out a small box.

"Well, Cap here tells me you keep complaining about having to control yourself so you won't burn your clothes, so I did something about it." Tony set as he set the box on the floor.  
Pushing a button, Tony stepped back as the box seemed to come alive. It opened up into some sort of projector and Barry stared as a hologram of a suit appeared. It seemed to be made of the same materials his old one, destroyed during the fight with Ultron, had been, and had a similar design, but was different. It had gold strips mixed in with the red and had the eye holes absent, instead white eyes stared at Barry.

"I took a look at the old suit you had, well what was left of it," Tony began, bringing Barry out of is shock, "It's not finished yet, but when it's done it'll be made of the same materials, plus bulletproof with an AI designed to help you. So, what do you think?"

Barry stared at the suit, a mixture of emotions playing across his face so fast neither Avenger could pick up on any. When Barry spoke, it was with a tired, resigned voice.

"Thanks Tony, I appreciate this, but...just scrap it. I don't want it." Barry said before turning around and walking out.

"Okay...I was not expecting that reaction." Tony said, staring in stunned disbelief.

"Don't scrap it," Steve said with a thoughtful look on his face as Tony looked over at him, "let me talk to him first. I think there's something going on with him."

"Okay, do your thing Cap. I'll do mine." Tony said and Steve chuckled.

"Just like always." Steve said and the two friends shared a laugh.

Steve found Barry staring out the window, overlooking the forest that resided near the compound.

"Hey," Steve said and it was silent for several moments, "You wanna talk about it?"

"It just...the suit brought back a lot of memories." Barry said and Steve nodded in understanding.

"And it reminds you of everything you lost." Steve guessed.

"Yes, but that's not it," Barry said and Steve raises an eyebrow, "I never told you guys what really happened before I came here."

"I thought you came her accidentally." Steve said confused and Barry nodded.

"I did, but that's not the whole truth," Barry admitted and Steve was silent, letting Barry gather his courage, "I told you about my mom and the Reverse Flash, my dad and Zoom, but I never told you what happened after."

"What happened Barry?" Steve asked quietly, realizing it was something terrible.

"I-I reset the timeline," Barry finally confessed emotionally, "I went back in time to the night The Reverse Flash killed my mom and saved her. I created a new timeline where both my parents were alive, I lived there for a couple months. When I realized I had made a mistake, I reset it, tried to make things the way they were."

"But they weren't." Steve realized and Barry, shuttering with emotions, nodded as tears of guilt and self-loathing slide down his face.

"Things were different, people I love suffered for what I did. And I did it. I caused the people I love so much suffering. And I didn't care, so long as I got my happy ending. When I saw that suit, I realized something: I can't put on that suit because the truth is, I lost the right to wear it when I created Flashpoint. When I created Flashpoint, I lost the right to be the Flash." Barry said, shuttering with emotions as he cried silently.

Steve was silent, musing over what Barry said as Barry sobbed silently. Then, he reached out and placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, causing the younger man to look up at him.

"You made a mistake, it happens," Steve told him, "we're not perfect people, we make mistakes. But the fact that you told me proves you are not the person who didn't care, you're a different person. A Barry Allen came into the battle against Ultron, maybe a different one came out. The Flash is who you are Barry. You think you don't deserve that suit? Than try to become the man who does."

Steve dropped his hand back to his side and left Barry alone to muse on what Steve had said to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The war profiteer isn't a slam against Tony per say, but it is his company. Everything that Tony's company did at the time was, in the eyes of the media, a reflection on Tony. So they probably made sure to paint him in a terrible light.
> 
> For Barry's suit, it's basically his season four suit with white eyeholes like Peter's Spider-Man suit.
> 
> Barry Allen is one of my favorite characters in the Arrowverse, but unless you are completely blind, you know that the season three version of him was a warped and twisted version of Barry. If this was the Barry we got in the first two seasons, the team would not have followed him, because he was a whiny, selfish jackass who, for the most part, only cared about Iris and saving her, everything else was a distant second. The Barry Allen of season three was not worthy of being The Flash.


	6. A night out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and his teammates are given a night off and they use it to their advantage. As they bond, Barry sees something that unnerves him.

Avengers compound  
Afternoon

Barry grunted in pain as he was thrown on his back painfully.

"Sorry." Steve said apologetically, offering a hand to help Barry up, which he accepted.

"Man, you don't things easy, do you?" Barry asked as Steve helped him to his feet and Steve smiled.

"Can't afford that. We take things easy, the enemy could possibly get the drop on us. And The Avengers have a lot of enemies." Steve said and Barry nodded in understanding.

"Still, don't you ever take a break or anything? I mean, this guy I know on my earth, he's the most stubborn, strict person I know, but even he took a break now and then." Barry argued and Steve paused, thinking.

"You know, you have a point," Steve said after several moments of thought, "why don't you, Sam, Rhodey, and Wanda take the night off. Go out on the town, see a movie. Just relax for a bit."

"What about you and Natasha?" Barry asked confused.

"A night on the town isn't really Nat's thing and I'm waiting for a call from Clint. But you guys go out, have some fun, you guys deserve it." Steve insisted.

Almost reluctantly, Barry nodded and walked out of the training room. He found his way into the living area and found Wanda, Sam, and Rhodey on the couch, laughing and joking.   
At least Sam and Rhodey were, Wanda wasn't speaking much. However, at least she was sitting with them. Progress, Barry decided.

"Hey," Barry called out and his fellow Avengers looked over at him, "Cap told us to take the night off, go out for a night on the town."

"Yes!" Rhodey cheered as he got to his feet. "About time, let's get out of this place for a night."

"Yeah, we've been cooped up in this compound for too long." Sam agreed.

"Wanda?" Barry said as he looked over at his friend.

"I have been...restless. A night on the town would perhaps help, yes?" Wanda said uncertainly and Barry smiled at his friend.

"So, either of you know any place we could to hang out at around here?" Barry joked as he looked over at Sam and Rhodey.

Restaurant  
Night

The foursome had decided to see a movie. It was some action thriller that Barry didn't recall seeing on his earth. It was alright, Barry decided, just not something he'd like to see again. Afterwards, they had gone to a restaurant Sam had found on the internet. As they ate dinner, they laughed as they shared stories.

"And the Cisco looks over and says 'whoops.'" Barry finished and Sam and Rhodey laughed out loud as Wanda smiled in amusement.

"This Cisco guy sounds great." Rhodey said and they all noticed the faraway look in Barry's eyes.

"You must miss him." Sam began, being able to relate.

"I miss all of them," Barry admitted, "But I have to believe that they would want me to move forward, so that's what I'm trying to do."

"Can I ask you a question?" Rhodey asked after a moment.

"Shoot." Barry said, taking a drink of wine.

"How is it you became so fast?" Rhodey asked and Barry nearly choked on his wine. "I'm sorry if I'm prying, you don't need to answer."

"No, it's fine," Barry said, swallowing and putting his glass down, "we're a team, we need to trust each other. It's just...it's complicated. When I was eleven...my mom was murdered."

"I'm sorry man." Sam said as Rhodey began to regret asking.

"It's okay, you guys didn't know," Barry said, looking over at Rhodey as Wanda took his hand in an attempt to show support, "I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard a noise. I ran downstairs, I saw her surrounded in a ball of lightning, I saw a man inside it. I tried to stop him, but I ended up ten blocks away. The police all thought I was covering for my dad, he went to prison for her murder. But I knew what I saw. It was only a few years ago that I found out what happened."

"And what did happen?" Rhodey asked, all three of Barry's teammates becoming enticed by the story.

"The man who killed my mother was Eobard Thawne. He was a speedster like me, a time traveler from the future who hated me. He traveled back to kill me, but my future self followed him, got me to safety so he couldn't kill me. But when that happened...Thawne killed my mom," Barry sighed, remembering the pain of seeing his mother's dead body as Wanda tightened her grip on his hand, trying to show her support, "but Thawne lost his speed, so he couldn't get back to his own time. The only way to do that was The Flash, but he had come to a time without The Flash. So he used a device to kill a man called Harrison Wells, take on his appearance and memories, assuming the identity of Dr. Wells. Thirteen years later, Thawne created something called the particle accelerator, the device that would give me my powers. He set it off, I was struck by a lightning bolt produced by it, and the rest is history I guess you could say."

"I'm sorry man, that must have been hard." Sam said sympathetically and Barry nodded.

"It was, but I like to think that it made me the man I am today. Now, I think that's enough sad stuff, wouldn't you say." Barry said, more than ready to change the subject.

"I am sorry for your loss...but I am glad to have known you." Wanda said softly.

It was at that point that Barry and Wanda realized they were still holding hands. They snatched them back, both blushing, something their companions noticed but decided not to comment on.

"I agree. I'm sorry you're trapped here, but I'm glad I met you," Sam said as he raised his glass, "to friendship."

"To friendship." Barry, Wanda, And Rhodey raised their glassed in turn.

They all clicked glasses and took a drink. As they set them down, Barry looked over Sam's shoulder and froze, his blood running cold.

In the corner was a figure that appeared like it was hologram, or a ghost. It was barely visible and transparent, easily see through. Incredibly, Barry seemed to be the only one who could see the figure. Cisco opened and closed his mouth, as though he were talking to Barry, but if he was saying anything, Barry couldn't hear him.

"Barry?"

Startled, Barry looked back at his companions, who looked at him worriedly.

"Are you alright?" Wanda asked him, worry shining in her eyes.

"Eh," Barry looked back at Cisco, only to find him gone, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Guess I'm just tired."

Avenger's compound  
Same time

Steve was doing some exercises when his cell phone rang. Steve stopped, going over to the bench where he had put his phone and towel. Steve picked it up and saw the name flashing across the screen before quickly answering it.

"Status report." Steve said quickly.

"It's worse than we thought Cap. We may need to bring in the team. Clint told him grimly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not a lot happened, but I wanted a chapter that showed Barry bonding with his new teammates.
> 
> For those wondering why Vision didn't go, well, he kind of stands out, doesn't he?
> 
> The Cisco thing will be explained in a later chapter.


	7. A new mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a while, I’ve had a bit of writer’s block when it comes to this story, but I have a better idea where it’s going in the near future, so updates should be more often.

Avengers Compound  
Morning

“So, anyone know what this meeting is about?” Sam asked his teammates as he, Barry, Wanda, Rhodey, and Vision sat in the conference room.

“Nope.” Rhodey said.

“No one said anything to me.” Barry shrugged. 

“I am unaware of the purpose of this meeting.” Vision confirmed, to which Wanda nodded her agreement as well, seemingly unaware of Vision’s eyes watching her.

But Barry noticed. And he didn’t like it, not one bit. And it was not because he was jealous. Nope, not one bit jealous. Zero percent Jealousy over here. At all.

(A voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Cisco sang ‘Denial’s not just a river in Egypt!’ Barry chose to ignore that voice.)

No, it was because the way Vision would constantly watch Wanda was creepy. I mean, Barry got that Vision was into her. He couldn’t blame him, Wanda was great. But come on, the guy was almost stalking Wanda. Something the girl didn’t need, given she was just starting to deal with Pietro being in a coma.

“Settle down kiddies.” Natasha said as she and Steve walked in.

“We have a mission.” Steve announced and everyone straightened up.

Steve walked over to a monitor and turned it on. The screen showed some security footage of some people working on some machinery.

“Stark Industries is working on a new product: A brace that will allow wounded Veterans with wounds that impair their movement in the limbs to move their arms and legs more better.” Steve explained.

“And this is a bad thing?” Barry said, coming out more of a question than an answer.

“Tony heard rumors of a group of Mercenaries inside his organization,” Natasha picked up where Steve left off, “when he looked into why, he realized what this brace could be used for.”

“With the right modifications, rather than helping wounded Veterans, this brace could increase the strength of someone to well beyond that of an ordinary human.” Steve said grimly as they all stared in horror at Steve and Natasha.

“With that kind of power in the wrong hands…” Rhodey trailed off but they all followed his train of thought. 

“Why would mercenaries infiltrate Stark Industries to get this thing?” Barry asked, not being very familiar with this thing.

This had always been Oliver’s area of expertise, whereas he stuck to Metas and science related villains. 

“Mercenaries follow the money, they’re hired hands. Someone hired them, most likely so they could get their hands on this, and then sell it on the black market. But to go to this length to get their hands on this thing…must be one hell of a client.” Natasha mused.

“So what’s the plan Cap?” Sam asked eager to know the battle plan.

“Well, we don’t know when these mercenaries are going to make their move. Tony and his inner circle aren’t sure who they trust anymore. So, Tony and I agreed to send one of us under deep cover inside Stark Industries to act as our eyes and ears on the inside.” Steve explained.

“Okay, so who are we sending? I mean, Vision is obviously out. No offense man.” Rhodey said as he looked over at Vision, who simply inclined his head.

“I was not offended, Colonel.” Vision assured him calmly.

“Yeah, and you’re out to, since people obviously know who you are,” Sam noted and Rhodey nodded in agreement, “and Wanda’s out to, since someone leaked who she is.”

There were some grumbled around the table as Wanda looked down. Someone had leaked Wanda’s identity to the press, as well as her involvement with Ultron, a few weeks after they had moved here into the Compound. Tony was working on finding out who with Clint doing his own digging. In the meantime, Tony and Steve were attempting to convince the public of the fact that Wanda and her brother had been manipulated due to their circumstances by Hydra. 

However, all this had taken Wanda back to her place of self-loathing. Barry and Steve had tried to bring her out of it but had been met with limited success. 

“Which leaves you two,” Natasha said as she looked back and forth between Sam and Barry, “However, I think our best chance of success is if we send in the person least likely to be recognized.

Slowly, one by one, his teammates heads all turned to stare at Barry, who gave them an unimpressed look.

“On a scale of one to ten, how much am I going to hate this?” Barry complained and Natasha smirked.

“First, I am going to…prepare you for it.” Natasha said, her eyes dancing and Barry suddenly had the mental image of her standing over him, laughing evilly as he cried for help. 

“We’re absolutely sure there’s no way to get me home, right?” Barry complained and Sam and Steve chuckled.

“Relax Barry. We’ve got you covered.” Steve assured him.

“It’s her I’m worried about.” Barry muttered as he eyed Natasha, who was looking at him like he was prey and she was a shark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is another chapter that’s on the short side, but the coming chapters will be longer. 
> 
> And just to put this out there, this isn’t going to be a Vision bashing fic. I actually like Vision, but I don’t like Vision/Wanda. In CW, Vision comes off as a stalker to me. Sorry to those who like it, but that’s just how I perceive the relationship in CW.


	8. Going undercover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry prepares for his mission as he receives a gift from Steve that rattles him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, last chapter, I put something in the first posting of the chapter that probably caused some confusion. In the first posting, I put that Pietro was dead, not in a coma. I apologize for the confusion, it’s just been so long since I last posted that detail slipped my mind and has been corrected.

Avenger’s Compound  
Morning

Barry sped around his room, getting dressed for his undercover mission. However, he was currently struggling with the most difficult task. How is it that he could fight off Metahumans and homicidal robots, but a tie beat him, he wondered as he struggled to tie the offending piece of clothing.

“Are you alright?” Barry nearly jumped at the sound of Wanda’s voice behind him.

“Wanda, don’t scare me like that!” Barry said as he turned around to see her lingering in the door way. “I didn’t hear you come in.” 

“The door was open,” Wanda pointed out and Barry flushed as she took in his tie, “having difficulty?”

“Yeah, the fastest man alive, beaten by a tie.” Barry cracked and Wanda smiled, amused.

“Allow me to help; I used to help my father and brother.” Wanda said as she walked over and began to help Barry with his tie.

“Thanks.” Barry flushed and felt his heart beat quicken once more, although he wasn’t sure why.

He idly wondered if Wanda could hear how fast his heart was beating as she finished with his tie.

“All done.” Wanda said softly as she finished and Barry noticed her face was flush as she lowered her hands to her side.

“Thanks.” Barry said softly.

“Am I interrupting something?”

The two jumped apart like children who had caught doing something that would get them in trouble. Steve stood in the doorway, an amused smirk on his lips. He had a box that looked like it came from JC Penny’s in one hand and a file in another.

“No, Wanda was just helping me with my tie.” Barry said, looking down at his suit and tie. 

He didn’t look bad, he guessed. He was dressed in a suit jacket with a white shirt underneath, along with suit pants and shoes he were sure were worth more than he made back at CCPD in a month. 

“Right,” Steve said, looking back and forth between them, noticing the tension but decided not to comment on it, “Wanda, could I talk to Barry alone for a minute?”

Wanda nodded and silently left the room, leaving her leader and her friend alone.

“So, what’s going on Steve?” Barry asked as Steve walked over to him, handing him the file.

“I wanna go over some last details of this mission with you,” Steve explained as Barry nodded, opening the file, “your name is Sabastian Schmidt.”

“I sound like a jerk.” Barry interrupted and Steve smiled in amusement but kept going.

“You grew up in New York, raised by your mother; your father was never around. You went to college and graduated with highest honors before going into business. You’re a scientist on the down low but you make due. Stark Industries has recruited you for your input on their latest project.” Steve said as Barry read the file.

“Not bad,” Barry said, a little unnerved at how similar it as to his actual life as he looked up, “but what’s the box for?”

“It’s a gift. From Tony and me.” Steve said as he held the box out to Barry.

Frowning, Barry put the file down before taking the box. Barry opened it and reached inside, pulling what was inside out. However, he dropped it onto his bed, stepping back as he stared at it in fear.

“I told you I didn’t want it!” Barry snapped as he stared at the now completed Flash suit he had seen in the hologram Tony had shown him. “I don’t deserve it.” 

“Maybe not now, but you will,” Steve put a hand on Barry’s shoulder, “I get it, you don’t feel like you deserve it. But the guy you described to me, the guy who created Flashpoint without any thought of the consequences? He would never have even stopped to ask the question of whether he deserved to be The Flash or not.”

“Could you please just get it away from me?” Barry begged, not wanting to look at the suit for another second.

“Of course,” Steve said as he began to put the suit back in the box, “but when you’re ready, it’s here. Happy, Tony’s driver, will be here for you in about twenty minutes.”

Barry nodded as Steve walked out with the box.

Twenty minutes later, Barry found himself outside, waiting with a briefcase as a rather impressive limonene rolled up. The driver’s window rolled down to reveal a dark haired, slightly overweight Caucasian man.

“You must be Barry, I’m happy. Get in kid; we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.” Happy ordered.

Stark Industries  
Late morning

It had taken an hour and a half to get to Stark Industries. Barry could have gotten here in seconds, but that would’ve blown his cover. As Happy led him up to the CEO office, Barry looked around in amazement. He thought Star Labs and Queen Consolidated had been impressive, but they both paled in comparison to Stark Industries. Whoever the CEO was, they certainly knew how to run a company, Barry would give them that. 

Happy led Barry inside where a woman with red hair tied back in a bun, piercing blue eyes, and light skin. She had glasses and wore a tan suit as she was at the computer, trying up something.

“Ms. Potts.” Happy announced and the woman looked over.

“Happy, you’re early,” Ms. Potts said surprised before looking over at Barry, “and this must be our…new friend. If we could have a moment.”

Happy nodded and walked out, leaving Barry alone with Ms. Pitts. Ms. Potts gestured to a seat in front of her desk, which Barry took.

“So, you’re the infamous Barry Allen. Tony keeps tabs on your progress; he’s very interested in a Superhero from another earth. Plus, he couldn’t stop talking about your suit.” Ms. Potts chuckled as she explained.

“You and Tony are close then?” Barry inquired.

“I’m his girlfriend. And you can call me Pepper,” Pepper gave him a warm smile before they got down to business, “I want to thank you for your help.”

“It’s what I do, take risks to help people. What do we have?” Barry asked eager to get down to business.

“Well, aside from Happy, I’m not sure I trust anyone in the company,” Pepper admitted, “I’m not sure how deep this goes, but my best guess is that you’ll likely find the suspects in the applied Science Division. So ‘Sabastian Schmidt’ will be working there.” 

“Alright, when do I start?” Barry asked and Pepper smiled.

“Now. Allow me to show you to your office.” Pepper said as she stood up.

Pepper led Barry down the hall and over to an elevator. They rode up two floors and opened up to a wall of white walls. The third door on the left opened to reveal his office. It was about the size of his lab back at CCPD, well, Julian’s lab now, Barry guessed. It had a desk with a computer, a Mini fridge in the cone and what Barry guessed was a work bench with tools for inventing. 

“I hope everything’s to your liking.” Pepper said as she turned to him.

“Its fine,” Barry assured her, “Besides, I’ll only be here until I figure out who the mole is.” 

“Again, I can’t thank you enough and neither can Tony.” Pepper said gratefully.

“It’s nothing.” Barry assured her.

“It’s not nothing,” Pepper said with earnestness that surprised Barry, “most people wouldn’t risk their lives by walking into the lion’s den like you are. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t a hero. So thank you.”

Pepper walked out, leaving Barry staring after her. Barry numbly walked over to his desk, putting his head in his hands as thoughts of Flashpoint, of Cisco and Caitlin’s suffering flashed through his mind.

“I’m not a hero…I’m not a hero.” Barry whispered to himself in the empty office.


	9. Eliminating the suspects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Pepper get to work on clearing the innocent to determine who is possibly a mole in Stark Industries.

Apartment  
Morning

Barry threw the covers off him and stood up, trying to clear his mind from sleep as he looked around his apartment. Or, he guessed Sabastian’s apartment. Tony and Pepper had set him up with it while he was undercover, as it was easier than going back to The Compound every night. On his off days, he till went back to the Compound and he still talked with the other Avengers, mostly Steve and Wanda. Sometimes, he had the other Avengers over. 

Like last night, Barry thought with amusement as he walked into his living room to see Sam passed out on the couch. Someone had had a little too much to drink last night. Barry walked into the kitchen to see Wanda eating a bowl of cereal.

“Hey,” Barry greeted before speeding over to the cabinet and, before Wanda even realized it, he had bread and butter out, “shouldn’t you two be getting back to the compound right now?”

“How much trouble can we get in?” Wanda shrugged and Barry shook his head.

“Well, I’m not the one training with Natasha.” Barry said and Wanda paused, her spoon frozen in mid-air.

“Perhaps it would be best if we get ready to go.” Wanda said and Barry laughed.

“Hey,” Barry looked over at her and noticed she had a hair stuck to her chin, most likely it had gotten stuck there while she slept, “you got um…”

Barry gestured to her mouth and she reached for where he pointed but didn’t get it. Barry, almost without thought, sped over and gently removed the hair. As his fingers made contact with her skin, a bolt of electricity seemed to course through him. Judging by the startled look on Wanda’s face, she felt it to. Barry hastily lowered his hand as Sam walked in, holding his head in pain.

“Ugg, why’d you let me drink that much?” Sam complained, nursing his hangover. 

“Let you? I told you to stop! You threw up over my shoes before you passed out on my couch!” Barry protested.

“Okay, not so loud.” Sam pleaded, holding his head and Barry rolled his eyes.

“Make sure he gets back to the compound alright. And tell Natasha to kick his ass for me.” Barry muttered to Wanda, who giggled.

“Oh, so that’s how you gonna play it man?” Sam complained as Barry buttered his toast at super speed.

“You threw up on my shoes and passed out on my couch!” Barry reminded him before taking a bite of his toast.

Stark Industries  
Later in the morning

“Okay,” Pepper said her hands in front of her as Barry sat in the chair in front of her desk, “you’ve been here for two weeks now, do you have any idea who the mole could be?”

“I’ve narrowed it down to three suspects. Samantha Grayson.” Barry began.

“She’s been a loyal employee for years. Why would she throw in with these Mercenaries?” Pepper inquired.

“Back when Tony turned the company from a weapons manufacturing business into what it is now, thousands of people lost their jobs. One of them was Samantha’s husband, Carl, who took his own life a few months later. That gives her motive. And she was in on this project from the beginning, which also gives her opportunity. And I’ve talked to her; she has no love for Tony or you for that matter.” Barry explained and Pepper frowned.

“And the other two?” Pepper said after a moment.

“Paul Clarkson. Been with Stark Industries for twenty years, when it was manufacturing weapons, he was head of the department. But after Tony’s change of direction, he was put at the bottom, as Stark Industries had no more use for weapons. He’s had to work his way up for years and he’s still nowhere close to where he was before Tony changed the company. Revenge can be a powerful motivator.” Barry noted and Pepper nodded.

“And the third suspect?”

“Joseph Thompson started here six months ago. But I had Clint and Natasha do a little digging, there is no record of him prior to him applying for his job here.” Barry explained and Pepper frowned.

“Nothing?” She inquired.

“Not so much as a speeding ticket.” Barry confirmed.

“How did this not come up in his interview?” Pepper inquired.

“It’s your company. I’m just here to do a job.” Barry shrugged and Pepper nodded, taking a few deep, calming breaths.

“Okay, thank you for this Barry. Now, we just need to figure out who it is.” Pepper said with a frown.

“Yeah, finding out someone you trust is betraying you is never fun.” Barry muttered, thinking of Thawne and Zoom.

Avengers’ compound  
Afternoon

Sam plopped down on the couch, groaning in pain as Wanda, who was reading a book, smirked at his predicament. 

“Rough training session?” She quipped and he groaned in response.

“Tell Allen…he’s dead when I see him.” Sam groaned as Rhodey walked in.

“Shouldn’t drink so much when you’re on duty.” Rhodey said.

“I wasn’t on duty.” Sam groaned.

“We’re Avengers man, we’re always on duty.” Rhodey pointed out.

“Shut up,” Sam groaned as he managed to lift himself into a sitting position as he looked over at Wanda, “So, when you and Barry gonna do something about whatever you to have going on?”

“I…do not know what you’re talking about.” Wanda said, looking determinedly down at her book as she flushed.

“I believe what Sam is trying to say is that you like him…and he likes you.” Rhodey pointed out.

“You are mistaken. Barry does not feel that way about me.” Wanda said and the two men could hear the disappointment in her voice.

“It’s pretty obvious he does. To everyone but you and him that is.” Rhodey assured her.

Stark Industries  
Same time

“So, Joseph’s legit?” Barry said on the phone in his office.

“Yeah, I called Tony about it. Apparently, he’s in witness protection. Tony made a deal with the FBI to set him up with a job here.” Pepper explained and Barry sighed.

“Okay, well, that’s one down, two to go.” Barry said as Cindy, his assistant Pepper had assigned him, walked in.

“Mr. Schmidt, your one O’clock is here.” She said, moving brown hair out of her eyes. 

“Thank you, send him in.” Barry said politely and she nodded as he hung up.

Paul Clarkson walked in as Barry eyed him carefully. Paul was a man in his early sixties with greying brown/blonde hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a suit and had a tense look on his face.

“Mr. Schmidt.” Paul greeted and Barry nodded.

“Mr. Clarkson. Please have a seat,” Barry gestured to the chair in front of his desk and Paul took it, “I’m going to be conducting an interview here. In short, we suspect someone of corporate espionage.”

“And you think I did it?” Paul demanded, anger in his voice.

“We have to look at everyone with a motive, you understand,” Barry said apologetically, “now, seven years ago, you were at the top of the food chain before Mr. Stark changed the company, stopped the production of weapons. That must have made you very angry.” 

“It did, I worked hard to get to that position. Doesn’t mean I would sell Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts out. I’ve got no love for Stark, but Ms. Potts has always treated us great. I would never betray her.” Paul said firmly.

“But it wasn’t just your job that you lost, was it? Your wife left you, took your son with her. You only get him on weekends. All because Tony Stark decided he wasn’t gonna manufacture weapons anymore. That would push anyone over the end, given time.” Barry said carefully, eying Paul carefully for his reaction.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t happy,” Paul admitted, “I hated Stark, I still do. But I didn’t sell out Ms. Potts. I swear on my son’s life.”

Barry eyed Paul carefully, trying to determine whether he was lying or not. But Barry had been lied to and manipulated enough times to know when someone was trying it by now. And this man reminded Barry of his own father, honest and decent, someone who had been wronged but hadn’t let it make him bitter or hateful. 

“I believe you,” Barry said and could see Paul sag back in his chair in relief, “you’re free to go. Please, keep this between us. If there is a spy among our staff, I’d like to not alert them.”

“Of course, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.” Paul said in clear relief.

“You’ve done more than enough, thank you.” Barry said with a kind smile. 

Once Paul was gone, Barry frowns, a grim sort of satisfaction and victory settling over him. He and Pepper had eliminated the suspects. All but one: Samantha Grayson. Who, as Barry had pointed out to Pepper that morning, had means, opportunity and, most importantly, motive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not a lot happened here, but next chapter will make up for that, I promise.
> 
> In case anyone needs a visual, Paul Clarkson would be portrayed by Linden Ashby, Cindy by Leslie-Anne Huff, and Samantha Grayson will be portrayed by Paige Turco. If you don’t know them from anything, just look them up, get the right look for them.


	10. The mole?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers zero in on who they believe to be the mole only for another twist to present itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is another one that isn’t particularly long, but my chapters will start to increase in length following this one.

Avengers Compound  
Morning

“Okay, report,” Steve ordered as The Avengers, including Clint, stood in the conference room, “Where are we on Samantha Grayson?”

“I watch her at work and Pepper has Happy and the rest of security discreetly watching her in the halls when I can’t. She just seems to do her job.” Barry explained.

“And when she’s not at work, Clint and I keep watch over her.” Vision added.

“Cap, if she’s the mole, then we’re not gonna catch her by watching her. All she’s done is go to work, go home, go out with friends, and go out for dinner.” Clint added.

“Well, I’m open to suggestions,” Steve said, frustration clear in his voice and Natasha opens her mouth, “No Nat, we’re not torturing her.”

“Well Steve, I don’t know how else to get a confession out of her.” Natasha said annoyed.

“Natasha may be onto something,” Barry said and everyone looked at him with varying degrees of surprise, “not the torture bit, that’s a bit extreme. But to get a confession out of her, we may have to resort to something…drastic.”

“Define drastic.” Steve asked wearily.

“Well, a friend of mine back on Earth-one told me once about how she and her team faced a very similar situation,” Barry began and he had their interest, “Their leader, a guy named Oliver, discovered that his mom was involved with something illegal, so they watched her for a couple days. When they couldn’t find anything suspicious, they drugged her and brought her to warehouse. They had her and Oliver tied up to two chairs while another member of Oliver’s team ‘attacked’ Oliver to make her come clean.” 

“And did she?” Sam inquired.

“She sang like a canary.” Barry told him and the Avengers looked to Steve.

“It’s not a bad idea Steve.” Sam said as Steve considered it. 

Stark Industries  
Afternoon

“Hey, Sam!” Barry raced up to Samantha, at human speed, as she walked down the hall. “Would you like to grab some lunch? There’s a burger joint not far from here to die for.”

“Thanks, but I’m not interested in a date. Plus, I’m old enough to be your mother.” Samantha smiled at him politely.

“Oh, no, not like that! I just meant you don’t seem to interact with a lot of people at work.” Barry explained as they neared the elevators.

“The last person I was close with at work was my husband. Given the outcome of that, I decided not to get too attached to my coworkers.” Samantha said as she pushed the elevator button.

“Understandable, but not very healthy.” Barry said as the elevator door opened for them.

“No offence Sabastian, but you don’t get to tell me how to live my life…and is there a reason you’re following me?” Samantha asked as Barry followed her onto the elevator.

“Oh, I’m just headed to the lobby. I’m headed to the burger place I mentioned and just wanted to see if you wanted to join me.” Barry lied smoothly as the elevator doors closed and the elevator began moving. 

Before Samantha could respond, the elevator suddenly stopped and the lights went out.

“What’s going on?” Samantha asked, looking panicked.

“I’m not sure,” Barry lied as he pushed the emergency call button, “power’s out.” 

As Samantha reached for her pocket, most likely to grab her phone, Barry’s sprang into action. Using super speed, Barry made a precise strike to the neck, where Natasha had taught him. At the hit, Samantha collapsed to the floor, out cold. 

Unspecified location  
Night

Samantha groaned as she came to. She tried to move her arms but quickly discovered she couldn’t, as she was restrained. She was in a chair, ropes tied tightly around her arms, pinning them to the arm rests.

“Where the hell am I? And what did you do to Sabastian?” Samantha demanded, the memories coming back to her.

“Your friend is fine.” A low voice spoke up. 

The owner of the voice stepped into view and Samantha could see it was a man whose features were nearly impossible to make out beneath the black ski mask he was wearing. He was not overly muscular but Samantha can see he was above average height and well built without being too bulky.

“We weren’t after him, only you.” The man told her.

“Why, what do you want from me?” Samantha demanded bravely.

“We believe you are working with a group of mercenaries who intend to take a new piece of technology Stark Industries is working on.” The man said and Samantha stared at him blankly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She told him.

“I don’t believe you.” The man said before clapping his hands.

The door to the dark room opened and Samantha looked behind him as two men entered, dragging a third. As they stepped into view, the third man looked up and Samantha gasped.

“Carl?” She asked softly as she stared at her thought to be dead husband.

“Samantha.” Carl gaped as he stared at her.

“This is trick; you killed yourself almost seven years ago!” Samantha said in denial.

“Yes, weapons designer kills himself two months after losing his job. Or did he?” One of them men holding Carl said mockingly.

“They faked my death; I’ve been forced to work for them for the last six years.” Carl told Samantha, who was in shock.

“Now, tell us who you’re working for or hubby here gets it.” The first man told her menacingly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about; I only work for Stark Industries. No one else.” Samantha said after coming out of her shock.

The first man looked at the other two. If she hadn’t been so scared and worried, Samantha would have seen Carl tilt his head to one side in an almost nod. The men holding him toss Carl to the floor and one of them begins to punch Carl violently, to Samantha’s horror.

“Please, stop!” Samantha begged desperately.

“Tell us who you’re working for!” The second man snarled as his partner paused in his beating of Carl.

“Please Samantha, just tell them.” Carl begged.

“I’m not working for anyone other than Ms. Potts!” Samantha cried out, clearly at the breaking point.

“Tell us who you’re working for or I’ll blow his brains out!” The second man said as he pulled out what appeared to be a pistol and took aim at Carl.

“I swear to god, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Samantha shouted the desperation and fear on her face clear to everyone.

The second man whirled towards her and fired. A tranq dart hit her in the neck and she jolted before slumping into her chair, out cold. Sam, Clint, and Barry all took of their masks as Carl stood up, placing one hand on his face. The Photostatic veil shifted to reveal the face of Steve Rogers.

“You sure she won’t remember anything?” Steve asked and Clint nodded.

“Sedative that induces short term memory loss. She won’t remember anything that happened today.” Clint assured him.

“Which was nothing,” Barry said, tossing the tranq gun to the floor in frustration, “she wasn’t the mole. I was so sure…”

“The point is there’s still a mole in Stark Industries.” Sam pointed out.

“Barry, you need to get back to Stark Industries. Somewhere in that building is a mole waiting to go to these mercenaries. Find out who it is and then we will deal with them.” Steve ordered.

“But first, maybe you should drop her off at her apartment.” Clint said as he gestured at Samantha. 

Barry’s apartment  
Later

“I must have overlooked something.” Barry said in frustration, on the phone with Wanda as he unlocked his apartment.

“Do not blame yourself, it won’t help. That is what you often told me whenever I start feeling guilty over Ultron.” Wanda pointed out and Barry sighed.

“I just…I hate feeling useless. Steve gave me this mission so I could find the mole and I feel like I let him down.” Barry admitted as he opened the door and started to walk in. 

“You have not let anyone down. You are doing everything you can; don’t be so hard on yourself.” Wanda told him kindly.

“Wanda-” Barry began.

But Wanda would never know what he was about to say. Someone from around the corner swung a baseball bat at him and it hit him in the head. Barry went down, out cold as his phone clattered to the floor.

“Barry? Barry?” Wanda said worriedly.

The one who knocked Barry out walked over and picked up Barry’s phone and said two words. To words that were ingrained in Wanda’s memory, two words that made her blood run cold.

“Hail Hydra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, you read that right, Hydra is involved here. You wanna find out, you have to keep reading.


	11. Hydra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As The Avengers scramble to locate Barry, Barry is interrogated by Hydra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter didn’t turn out to be as long as I hoped, but it does introduce something very significant.

Barry’s apartment

Night

 

Clint kicked the door in as he, Sam, and Steve burst into the apartment. It was empty, no sign of Barry. They began looking around and Clint spotted something.

 

“Cap,” He called over as he knelt down, picking up Barry’s phone, “isn’t this-”

 

“That’s Barry’s phone,” Steve frowned as he noted a small splatter of blood on the floor near Clint’s knees, “And he didn’t go quietly.”

 

“Of course he didn’t. The kids a fighter just like you. Maybe that’s why you two get along so well, you’re cut from the same cloth.” Clint noted as Steve flashed a tight smile.

 

“Steve, Clint, get in here. I think you’ll want to see this.” Sam called from inside the kitchen.

 

Clint gets back on his feet and he and Steve make their way to the kitchen. They stopped, staring at what Sam is. The two red words painted on the wall in what seemed to be blood.

 

“Hail Hydra.” Clint muttered.

 

“Well, if there was any doubt to what Wanda told us she heard, it’s gone now,” Steve said, his eyes hard as he stared at the words, “We need to get back to the compound. And call Tony, he should know about this.”

 

Unspecified location, next day

Morning

 

Barry lay on his back, his eyes closed. He appeared to be asleep but was actually wide awake. He had been for some time. All he had to do was wait.

 

And he didn’t have to wait long. The cell to his door opened and he heard someone walk in, heavy boots sounding on the floor.

 

“Get up,” A gruff man’s voice echoed through his cell, “I said get up!”

 

Barry opened his eyes and shot up. At super speed, he snatched the man’s keys off his belt, knocked him down, raced out the door and slammed it shut before locking it.

 

“That fast enough for you?” Barry asked cheekily before speeding off.

 

He raced around, trying to find an exit so that he could run and get to somewhere safe. However, he ran into a wall of men armed with assault rifles. They opened fire on him but Barry, using his super speed, managed to dodge the bullets. Then, at super speed, he jumped over, giving the appearance of flight when it was really him gliding along the wind at super speed. He landed on his feet behind them and, as the men turned to him, Barry used his super speed to punch them all in quick succession, knocking them out. As they fell to the ground unconscious, Barry turned around but stopping, freezing as he stared in shock.

 

“You-” Barry said before he was hit.

                                        

Barry fell to the ground, wanting to scream but unable to as the Taser’s effect had him. He couldn’t move as his attacker walked over and kicked him hard in the face three times and then it all went black.

 

Avenger’s compound

Same time                                                            

 

The Avengers sat in the compound, stunned by the revelations the night had brought.

 

“Hydra. Hydra infiltrated my company. Of course, because why not?” Tony muttered as he ran a hand over his face.

 

“The mercenaries, there were no mercenaries. It was all a front for Hydra. Must be an old cell.” Clint muttered, mentally berating himself for not seeing it sooner.

 

“Do not blame yourself Clint,” Vision said and Clint shot him a dark look, “no, I did not read your mind. It was written on your face.”

 

“Blaming ourselves won’t help.” Wanda pointed out.

 

“Wanda’s right,” Steve said and they all turned to their leader, “Hydra is here and they’ve taken one of our own. And we’re going to get him back.”

 

“What’s the plan Steve?” Rhodey inquired.

 

“We need to ID who took him,” Steve ordered, “Hopefully, it’s the mole and if not, they’ll lead us to the mole. And hopefully Barry.”

 

Unspecified location

Afternoon

 

Barry groaned as he came to, feeling his limbs being positioned. Looking around, he saw his hands and feet were trapped in some machine. His feet were trapped in what looked like metal boots coming out of the ground while his hands were trapped in the ends what looked like metal pipes coming out of the ceiling. He was in a dark room with only a little lighting.

 

“Ah, so you’re awake.” A man’s voice spoke up.

 

 Barry looked up as a man stepped into view. It was still hard to see in the room, but from what Barry could make out, he was a Caucasian male with dark hair and green eyes.

 

“Who are you? Where am I?” Barry demanded and the man chuckled.

 

“I am one of many, I am Hydra.” The man said and Barry started at the word Hydra.

 

“Hydra, the Nazi group that took over Shield?” Barry questioned, remembering some of the stories Steve and Sam had told him about that.

 

“You have been fed many misconceptions about Hydra. We want what The Avengers want, what Shield wanted: To save the world.” The man said and Barry scoffed.

 

“Considering you guys tried to kill thousands of people, forgive my skepticism.” Barry said sarcastically and the man chuckled.

 

“You will soon find you are mistaken about a great many things. But it soon cease to matter, you cannot escape.” The man said.

 

Barry smirked, thinking the man didn’t know about his superpowers. However, as he tried to vibrate his hands out, something happened: Barry suddenly screamed as he was shocked with a thousand bolts of electricity.

 

“As you can see, the machinery around your hands and feet is not just for decoration,” the man said as he began circling him, Barry catching sight of something in his hand, “Hydra designed this to deal with a young man with the same abilities as you, should he have turned on us. Every time you so much as twitch a finger, you will be shocked with electricity. The more you try and move, the worse it will be.”

 

“Okay, minor setback, I admit. But still, it’s only a matter of time before I get out of here.” Barry said confidently and the man stopped behind him.

 

“We shall we. After all, those powers must take a lot of concentration. Let’s see how well you concentrate after this.”

 

Barry suddenly cried out in pain as he felt something jam into his back and he felt fire fill him. As the object was removed, Barry realized he had just been injected with something.

 

“What did you do to me?” Barry asked, his voice trembling as he felt whatever it was fill his body like fire.

 

“It’s called the Red Death. Hydra created it for interrogation purposes. Me? I have other uses for it.” The man said as he put his hand on Barry’s upper back.

 

Barry’s head suddenly reeled back, a screaming leaving his mouth.

 

_Barry cried out as two arrows suddenly struck him in his back._

As the man removed his hand Barry suddenly breathed heavily, relieved them pain was gone.

 

“Tell me who you are working for. Can’t be Stark, no, this isn’t his style. It’s someone else. Tell me.” The man demanded.

 

“Go to hell.” Barry snapped and the man chuckled.

 

“I was hoping you’d say that.” The man said before pressing his finger into the back of Barry’s knee and Barry cried out again.

 

_Caitlin stabbed a dagger made of ice into the back of Barry’s knee and Barry cried out in agony._

“Tell me who you are working for and all this ends.” The man said as he circled Barry.

 

“Never.” Barry managed and the man smiled darkly.

 

“Never said never.” He said as he placed his hand on one side of Barry’s abdomen and Barry gasped.

 

_Zoom plunged his vibrating finger into Barry’s abdomen and he gasped in pain as Cisco, Caitlin, and Harry watched in horror._

 

New York

Later in the afternoon

 

“I’ve been going over these tapes for hours, I haven’t found anything,” Sam told Steve and Tony as they were looking at the security of outside Barry’s apartment, “how’d you get us access to these anyway?”

 

“You’d be surprised what money can buy Robin.” Tony said and Sam scowled.

 

“It’s Falcon,” Sam muttered before he saw something, “hey, what’s that?”

 

“Too far away to tell,” Steve frowned as he saw someone lifting something-or someone- into the back of a car, “Tony, can you enhance the image?”

 

“Not with what we’ve got here, but if I take it back to the compound, maybe.” Tony muttered.

 

“Do whatever you need to do to get this tape. We need to find out who that is. It’s the only lead we’ve got so far.” Steve ordered.

 

Unspecified location

Same time

 

Barry didn’t remember passing out, but he came to in an empty room. The room was filled with light, as opposed to the darkened room before. Barry figured it had been kept that way to protect the man’s identity.

 

“Well buddy, you’ve got yourself in quiet a pickle, don’t ya?”

 

Barry stiffened as he heard the familiar voice. It couldn’t be; it was impossible. He couldn’t be here.

 

But as Barry looked over to the source of the voice, he saw that it was indeed who he thought it was.

 

“Cisco?” Barry gapped as he stared at his friend.

 

“Hey Barry. It’s been a while.” Cisco said as he flashed Barry a nasty smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the most significant thing that happened was that Barry was injected with The Red Death. For those of you who don’t watch Arrow or who just didn’t stick around for the Red Death part (Can’t say I blame you if you didn’t), The Red Death is an interrogation drug meant to mentally torment the injected person. If the injected person is touched on their body where they were previously injured, it causes them to relieve the injury in their mind. It also causes hallucinations and seems to cause flashbacks as well. 
> 
> Since we don’t know a lot about how The Red Death works, as the only known person to be injected and not kill themselves is Oliver Queen, a lot if how I’m using it here is creative license. How it works here is that it never leaves the body, there is always some lingering part of it, but the hallucinations and other mental effects wear off after twenty four hours. However, like when Barry got whammied in season one, his body will react differently because he is a speedster.


	12. Finding Barry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is torment by The Red Death as The Avengers attempt to locate him.

Unspecified location

Afternoon

 

“No, you’re not here. You can’t be here.” Barry said in denial and Cisco smirked darkly, a look Barry had never seen on his face.

 

“Oh, I’m here alright. Up here,” Cisco gestured to his temple, “I’m all in your head Barry. It’s what The Red Death does: Shows you your guilt.”

 

“Your failures.” Barry looked over to see Pietro walk out of the shadows on the other side of the room.

 

“Your rage.” Barry saw Zoom speed out, sparkling blue lightning around him.

 

“None of you-none of you are real.” Barry shook his head, trying to ride himself of the images.

 

It didn’t work, as Cisco, Zoom, and Pietro all stood around together as they looked at him in contempt.

 

“We’re as real as you are Barry.” Cisco told him.

 

“We’re your darkest thoughts.” Zoom said in his monstrous voice, laughing unsettlingly.

 

“The truths you don’t want to face, the people whose lives you’ve destroyed. Like me. You got me put into a coma I might never wake up from.” Pietro said anger in his voice.

 

“No, I was just trying Clint and that boy, just like you were.” Barry argued.

 

“And you weren’t fast enough, so I paid the price. I’m just another person whose life has been destroyed because of you, just like your parents, Eddie, Ronnie, Caitlin, Cisco and so many others.” Pietro spat.

 

“It’s what he does best.” Cisco said, glaring at Barry hatefully.

 

“And you call me a monster.” Zoom laughed evilly.

 

“You’re all in my head; you’re all in my head.” Barry closed his eyes and muttered to himself, trying to block it all out.

 

“Which is why we’re the best people to tell you this. Because it’s not us telling you this, it’s yourself Barry. We’re just manifestations of your own thoughts and feelings.” Cisco told him.

 

Stark Industries

Not long after

 

“I know who this is Tony,” Pepper said as she spoke on the phone with Tony after he sent the video to her and she had used some of the technology at Stark Industries to enhance it, “it’s the woman I assigned as Barry’s assistant. Her name is Cindy Ford.”

 

“And let me guess, she didn’t show up to work today. Do you have her address or maybe a phone number?” Tony inquired.

 

“I have a house phone and a cell phone, and her last known address. But I have a feeling she won’t be at the address Tony.” Pepper pointed out.

 

“Still, probably best to cover all our bases.” Tony said in thought.

 

Unspecified location

Same time

 

“I never meant for this to happen, okay? I‘m trying to serve my penance by working with The Avengers.” Barry tried to explain.

 

“Doesn’t matter what you mean to do, you destroy everything you touch Barry. Look at Flashpoint! My brother is dead; Cait has these powers along with a homicidal alter ego! Wally has powers, Joe and Iris weren’t speaking to each other! And now look at you, starting over here on this new Earth!” Cisco snarled angrily.

 

“If I could get back home, I would have by now.” Barry argued.

 

“You abandoned us.”

 

Barry looked away from Cisco, Pietro, and Zoom and whipped his head towards the sound of the voice. He stared in shock as Iris walked towards him, a look of pain and betrayal on her face.

 

“You left us Barry. You left me!” Iris accused him.

 

“I can’t leave here Iris! It’s not like I’m here because I want to be!” Barry argued.

 

“But it’s not just that, is it? You like it here. You like the load off your shoulders, you like sharing the burden with your new friends. Most of all, you like _her_.” Iris spat, her eyes hurt.

 

“What are you talking about?” Barry asked and Iris laughed humorlessly.

 

“Wanda. You like her,” Iris knelt down in front of him and put a hand over his heart, “every day you are here; your heart becomes less mine and more hers. Whether you know it or not, you are falling in love with her. You betray me by forgetting me.”

 

“I would never forget you Iris. I promise.” Barry said and Cisco scoffed.

 

“Your promises aren’t worth much anymore.” Cisco said scornfully.

 

Avengers Compound

Later in the afternoon

 

“You were right Tony; her apartment looks like it was cleared out a few days ago.” Clint said as he and Sam walked in, “Tell me you’ve had better luck.”

 

“Well, they did a decent job of hiding the signal, but not decent enough,” Tony said, a hint of gleeful pride in his voice as he brought up a computer screen that showed a cell tower, “this Tower is where the phone call we made to her cell bounced off when we called. They did a decent job of trying to cloak the phone; I’ll give them that, but not well enough. I was able to trace the call and it originated at some mansion at the edge of New York. It’s supposed to be foreclosed, but there are reports of heavy power and water usage over the last few months.”

 

“Thank you Tony, you’ve been a great help.” Steve told his friend.

 

“And I’m not done. Barry only got captured because he was helping me. I’m gonna make sure we get him back.” Tony said as he got to his feet and Steve nodded.

 

“Then let’s go get Barry.” Steve ordered.

 

Mansion

Late afternoon

 

Barry woke again, although he didn’t remember passing out, some hours later. Cisco, Zoom, Pietro, and Iris were all gone, leaving him alone. Although he thought he sensed someone in the room with him. The clicking of heels in the room confirmed this.

 

“Who’s there?” Barry asked, his voice trembling as he felt pain surging through his body, probably a side effect of The Red Death.

 

“Oh come on, has it really been that long Barry?” Barry stiffened as he saw Caitlin step into view, her eyes glowing and a malicious smirk on her face. “I’m hurt.”

 

“Caitlin.” Barry breathed as he stared at her.

 

“No, not Caitlin. Killer Frost.” She chuckled, her voice distorted as her hair turned snow white.

 

“Caitlin.” Barry said as guilt filled him.

 

“Caitlin Snow is dead. And it’s all thanks to you. Thank you Flash, I’m glad you did this to me.” She chuckled cruelly, enjoying the look of shame on his face.

 

“Caitlin wasn’t.” Barry said.

 

“But she’s gone now. And it’s all your fault. You just had to go save mommy and daddy, everyone else be damned.” Killer Frost laughed mockingly.

 

“I’m sorry Caitlin.” Barry said as he looked at her.

 

“Don’t be. Like I said, I’m glad you did this to me Flash.” Killer Frost said as she leaned down, giving him a kiss on the mouth.

 

Barry gasped, feeling like he was freezing from the inside as he felt all the heat leaving his body.

                                         

At the front door, three armed men waiting, guns in their hands as they stood guard over the front entrance. Suddenly, the doors burst opened and the three men instantly turned their guns at the entrance, opening fire. However, they quickly realized their bullets simply bounced off the iron armor of their opponent.

 

“Hello boys,” Iron Man said as he walked through the door, “You wouldn’t happen to know where our friend is, would you?”

 

Suddenly, a shield with American colors and a star in the center flew in, spinning. It knocked the rifle out of one of the men’s hands, bounced of the wall, knocked one of the other men’s rifle out of his hand on the rebound, and was caught by Captain America as he entered. This left only one of the men with his rifle, but he did not have time to react as Iron Man blasted him with a yellow beam. He slammed into the wall, falling down as the other two defenseless men staring at them.

 

“We don’t have to do this. Surrender and we can cut you a deal.” Captain America offered.

 

“Hail Hydra.” The two men said as they pulled something out, something that could easily fit into their hand.

 

“No!” Steve cried out as he realized what it was but it was too late.

 

The two put the pills in their mouths and, within seconds, white foam bubbled out of their mouths as they fell to the ground, dead.

 

“Can’t save them all Cap.” Iron Man said, placing a hand on his teammates’ shoulder.

 

“It’s not right…something isn’t right,” Steve’s eyes narrowed as he looked around, “why are their only three guards down here? There should be a lot more.”

 

“Could ask the same question,” Natasha said over the comms as she, Sam, and Rhodey stared down the hall, the five guards easily beaten, “I was expecting…more.”

 

“Something isn’t right here Cap.” Sam said.

 

“It’s like they’re not interested in what’s here.” Rhodey noted, his voice having a metallic muffle to it but the puzzlement in his voice clear.

 

“Wanda, Vison, have you encountered any resistance down below?” Steve asked over the comms.

 

“No we have not Captain,” Vision said as he and Wanda made their way down a hall, “the lower levels are completely deserted. It is most strange and illogical.”

 

“Be quiet,” Wanda suddenly said and Vision looked at her in confusion, “did you hear something?”

 

“I’m sorry.” A voice said.

 

They looked around, trying to find the source of the vice. They saw a door and Wanda flicked her wrist. The door opened and the pair of them walked over. As they walked inside, they saw Barry, his feet trapped by metal surrounding them and his arms suspended at the endo f tow metal pipes attached to the ceiling.

 

“Barry!” Wanda exclaimed as she walked over, taking is face in her hands and making him look at her.

 

“I’m sorry Caitlin. I’m sorry.” Barry said completely disoriented, not even seeing Wanda.

 

“We found him Captain, but I suggest we leave with haste. Barry’s condition does not appear to be…good.” Vision said appearing concerned.


	13. Survivor's guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AS Barry is tormented by visions of an old enemy, Sam gives him some advice about guilt. Natasha and Wanda work to find out what Cindy's plans are.

_Barry was standing in a field of corn, although he had no recollection of how he got there. Then, a familiar voice, a melody Barry was sure he would never hear again, spoke up behind him._

_“My sweet boy.”_

_Barry’s heart stopped. He turned around to see the smiling face of his mother._

_“Mom?” Barry asked, his voice trembling as he stared at her._

_“Barry…how could you do this? How could you let him do that to me?” Nora asked betrayed as she stared at her son sadly._

_Before Barry could even begin to comprehend what she was saying, Nora gasped as a vibrating hand plunged itself through her chest._

_“NOW WHO’S THE VILLIAN FLASH?! NOW WHO’S THE VILLIAN?!”Eobard Thawne screeched._

Avengers compound, med bay

Morning

 

“No, no!” Barry, lying on a bed with wire hooked up to him, began thrashing around in his sleep as Steve and Clint rushed over.

 

“Barry, Barry it’s alright. You’re safe here!” Steve said but Barry, still asleep, lashed out.

 

“No, mom!” Barry cried out as he fought them but Steve and Clint pinned him to the bed, each of them holding one arm to the bed as Barry continued to thrash.

 

“Wake up kid, wake up!” Clint shouted and it reached Barry.

 

His eyes snapped open, breathing heavily as he seemed to realize where he was.

 

“Why are you holding me down?” Barry asked breathlessly.

 

“Let’s just say you were having one hell of a nightmare kid.” Clint said as he and Steve let him go.

 

“How long have I been out?” Barry asked as he sat up, trying to unscramble his thoughts.

 

“Eight hours. What’s the last thing you remember?” Steve asked carefully.

 

“…Cindy, my assistant, she’s-” Barry began frantically as it all came back to him.

 

“The mole, we know. Relax Allen.” Clint told him as he placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm the speedster.

 

“She was the one who knocked you out.” Steve said and Barry sighed.

 

“You think you know people.” Barry grumbled.

 

“You weren’t being guarded that well. Any idea why?” Steve inquired.

 

“Probably because they got what they wanted,” Barry said guiltily and they looked at him confused, “They injected me with something called The Red Death.”

 

“The Red Death?” Clint said alarmed.

 

“You’ve heard of it?” Steve inquired and Clint nodded.

 

“Nat told me about it; it’s some KGB integration drug that tortures the person injected mentally.” Clint explained and Steve frowned as he looked over at Barry.

 

“Are you alright?” Steve asked concerned and Barry shook his head.

 

“Not particularly. Every time they touched me, I felt like I was reliving an injury from my past. They kept at it for thirty minutes. I barely even remember saying it.” Barry said guilty.

 

“Saying what?” Clint inquired.

 

“That I was working for Captain America,” Barry confessed, unable to look at them, “I’m sorry Steve, I let you down.”

 

“You didn’t let me down Barry,” Steve said as he placed ah and on Barry’s shoulder, “Anyone would have broken under those circumstances. But there is some good that’s come out of this.”

 

“We’ve got one of them here. Hopefully it’ll get us some answers.” Clint added.

 

In a locked room, Natasha sat at a table, a dark haired man in his mid-twenties sitting across from her. She knew he wasn’t going to try to escape, he had nowhere to go. And even if he did, they both knew he couldn’t make it passed the other Avengers.

 

“So, Hydra,” Natasha began and the man shot her a black look, “what do you want? Enhanced strength is pretty low on the Hydra bucket list. So, what are you really after?”

 

“Hail Hydra.” The man said as he glared at her and Natasha shrugged.

 

“Suit yourself. You don’t wanna do this the easy way; we can do this the hard way.” Natasha said, looking at the one way glass and nodding.

 

Behind the glass, Wanda waved her hands in a circular motion as they glowed with a red energy.

 

Inside the room, the man’s eyes glowed red as he saw the room fade away. He looked around in horror as he was now in a waste land, decimated and bodies littered the area.

He stood up, terrified as a metal arm grabbed him around the throat and lifted him up into the air.

 

“Humans, such pitiful creatures. Now, you will cooperate or things will not end well for you. Do you understand?” Ultron said as he tightened his grip on the man’s neck.

 

The room was filled with the man’s screams as Natasha smirked.

 

“So, ready to talk now?” Natasha asked casually as the man was tormented by the vision only he could see.

 

In his room, Barry had changed clothes and was buttoning his shirt when a voice spoke up behind him.

 

“Not a bad place you got here.” Barry turned around to see Harrison Wells walking around the room, looking around as if to size it up.

 

“Harry?” Barry asked and the man gave a sadistic chuckle.

 

“Not quite.” He said sadistically and Barry knew who this was.

 

“Thawne. Of course, because why not?” Barry said sarcastically and Thawne smirked.

 

“You thought I was a monster for what I did to your mother and father. But compared to what you did to everyone you love, I’m practically a saint.” Thawne taunted him.

 

“You’re not real, you’re in my head. You’re in my head.” Barry muttered as he held ahis hands over his ears in an attempt to block out Thawne’s voice.

 

“Oh, I’m in your head all right, but I’m very real. My dear ancestor Eddie sacrificed himself to stop me, to save you. But when you went back into time to save mommy dearest, you made his sacrifice meaningless.” Thawne continued to taunt Barry as he walked up to his shoulder.

 

“Shut up, shut up!” Barry shouted, closing his eyes tightly as he tried to block out Thawne’s voice.

 

“Barry?”

 

Barry’s eyes opened and he looked over his shoulder. Thawne was gone and Sam stood in the doorway, looking at him in concern.

 

“Sam.” Barry breathed as he lowered his hands to his side.

 

“You okay?” Sam asked as heh walked inside.

 

“No,” Barry shook his head, “I’m…seeing things.”

 

“Does this have anything to do with that Red Death thing Hydra injected you with? Steve told me,” Sam explained and Barry nodded, “what are you seeing man?”

 

“People from my past, basically they’re all telling me the same thing: that I’m plague to those around me, that I bring pain, suffering, and death to everyone I come into contact with.” Barry sighed.

 

“You don’t really believe that man. Do you?” Sam asked as he looked at his friend in concern.

 

“I don’t know what to believe, but I know I hurt a lot of people, especially those I love, when I changed the timeline.” Barry sighed wearily.

 

“This isn’t just about Flashpoint,” Sam said and Barry looked at him incredulously,” Okay, it’s a lot about Flashpoint, but that’s not what’s really bothering you. I’ve known you for a few months now, and I think I know what’s really bothering you.”

 

“Yeah? What’s that?” Barry asked sarcastically.

 

“You haven’t forgiven yourself for what happened to your mom when you were a kid,” Sam said and Barry stared at him incredulously, “it’s called Survivor’s guilt. I know because I’ve suffered from it myself. You blame yourself for what happened to her. And everything else that’s happened since.”

 

“It was my fault. Thawne went back to kill me and, when my future self saved me, he killed her instead.” Barry said his voice full of self-loathing.

 

“You were eleven years old Barry, you couldn’t do anything about it then. Your mom died because of the actions of a psychopath. It wasn’t your fault Barry. You’re not a god. Bad things happen; it’s just part of life.” Sam told him before someone knocked on the door.

 

“Am I interrupting?” Steve asked as he lingered in the doorway.

 

“No,” Barry said quickly before Sam could saw anything, “Did you want something Steve?”

 

“Yeah,” Steve said after looking back and forth between his two friends for a moment, “Everyone is meeting in the conference room in ten minutes. Wanda and Nat got Cindy’s man to crack. They know what she and her Hydra cell are really after.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be much longer, but I felt like this was a pretty good stopping point. 
> 
> Pretty much every action Barry has taken since we first saw him in Arrow season two has been because of what happened to Nora. That tells me that he hasn’t moved on from it, that some part of him, maybe even subconsciously, blames himself for it. Which is a perfectly normal reaction. When tragedy happens, it’s normal for people to blame themselves, not because they had something to do with it, but because they feel they could have stopped it. Especially if that person is a child who lost their parent.


	14. Cindy's plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha explains Cindy's plan to the Avengers as Barry makes a decision. Barry is tormented by more visionso f of people from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ending of this chapter contains a sensitive subject matter, so read at your own risk.

Avenger’s compound, conference room  
Late morning

As Barry walked into the conference room with Steve and Sam, he was tackled by a blur of red and brown.

“Wanda, can’t breathe.” Barry said, gasping against Wanda’s tight hug.

“Sorry,” Wanda said as she stepped back, “Are you alright?”

“Fine.” Barry lied, hoping Sam would stay silent, which he thankfully did while shooting Barry a pointed look.

“You were in bad shape when we found you Allen.” Natasha noted as they all took their seats.

“He was injected with The Red Death.” Clint supplied helpfully, causing Barry to glare at him and Natasha to start.

“Thank you Clint.” Barry said sarcastically.

“The Red Death?” Natasha said, staring at Barry in what could only be called horror.

“Um, care to fill us in?” Rhodey asked as he, Wanda, and Vision looked completely lost.

“The Red Death is an interrogation drug created by the KGB. It’s designed to mentally torture the victim with hallucinations and flashbacks.” Natasha said, her horror fading from her face as she schooled her features into her usually cool expression.

“The way they told it, it was created by Hydra.” Barry announced to everyone’s shock.

“Hydra had infiltrated Shield for years without detection. It is not unlikely that they may have infiltrated other organizations.” Vision pointed out. 

“You said you had Intel on what Cindy was planning.” Steve brought them back to task.

“This whole stealing the project Tony has been working on, it’s a front for their real goal. Cindy’s plan is to raid a Stark Industries warehouse, housing all their old weapons from before Tony changed the company.” Natasha explained.

“Wait, I thought Tony got rid of all his weapons when he changed the company.” Barry said confused.

“He did, but his then business partner, Obadiah Stane, went behind his back and illegally continued to sell weapons.” Rhodey explained.

“And he also set up on a warehouse to keep them all, cleared from the companies records. Only Stane knew where it was and with his death, it’s been hidden for the last seven years. According to the Hydra agent we have here, Cindy infiltrated Stark Industries in order to look into where this weapons warehouse was.” Natasha explained and the Avengers exchanged startled looks.

“Have they found it?” Steve inquired.

“According to him, they have. It’s a Warehouse in Washington DC. It’s a five hour flight from here to there, three and a half by Quinjet. They’re probably already on their way.” Natasha noted, a hint of unease entering her voice.

“They called Tony the Merchant of Death before he changed the company. If these weapons are the kind that gave him that moniker…” Rhodey trailed off but they all got the point.

“We don’t have a moment to waste, gear up and we’ll meet in the hanger bay in fifteen minutes.” Steve ordered as he got to his feet.

“Steve, Natasha, could you hang back for a sec? I need to talk to you.” Barry said as everyone moved to stand. 

Steve and Natasha exchanged a glance before gesturing for everyone else to leave. Wanda shot Barry a confused look and he attempted to shoot her a reassuring smile but it probably came out more like a grimace. Nevertheless, Wanda left with the others, leaving Barry, Steve, and Natasha in the room.

“What’s going on Barry?” Steve asked.

“I don’t think I should go,” Barry confessed, “I’ve been compromised, I’m seeing people that aren’t there, and with what’s at stake, I think I’d be a liability.” 

“The hallucinations should wear off after twenty four hours.” Natasha said and Barry shrugged.

“My body reacts differently to things, it’s because I’m a speedster. I think it’s best for the mission if I stay here.” Barry explained and Steve and Natasha exchanged a glance.

“You sure about this Barry?” Steve inquired and Barry nodded.

“I think it’s the best for the mission.” Barry repeated and, after a moment, Steve nodded.

“Okay, if you’re sure about this, sit this one out.” Steve finally agreed.

Quinjet, enroute to Washington  
Afternoon

“You sure we should have left Barry behind? We could really use him on this one.” Rhodey said as the Avengers sat in the high tech jet, Natasha in the pilot seat and Steve in co-pilot with the others in the seats behind them.

“It’s what Barry wants.” Steve said simply.

“And trust me; he’s in no condition to be anywhere near a mission.” Sam muttered, which got him curious looks.

“He’s compromised because of The Red Death in his system. We’ll see what we can do about that later, but for now, let’s focus on the mission.” Natasha ordered.

Avenger’s compound  
Same time

Barry found himself walking the compound. You’d think with a compound this size; there would be something to do. But for a speedster, reading and watching TV got boring fast. So he decided to head to the gym, perhaps train a little. Only to discover someone was already there.

Barry was in the doorway when he saw an arrow hit a bullseye perfectly. Barry was confused, Clint had gone with the others and, as far as he knew, no one else had access to this place except for Tony. And Tony was no archer, as far as he knew.

As he stepped inside, he saw the archer and his blood ran cold as he stared in shock.

“Oliver?” Barry breathed his mouth dry.

“Hey Barry.” Oliver greeted coolly as he lowered his bow, beginning to make his way over to Barry.

“You-you’re not here. You’re just another hallucination from The Red Death.” Barry said, feeling dismayed that he was having another one.

“Am I? Well, tell something Barry: Does this feel real?” Oliver asked before slugging Barry. 

Barry stumbled back, crying out in pain as he clutched his face, eyes wide with shock.

“I-I felt that.” Barry said stunned.

“Yeah you did. I’m as real as you are Barry.” Oliver said.

“Maybe, but you’re not Oliver. The real Oliver wouldn’t punch me just to prove he was real.” Barry said and Oliver smiled unpleasantly.

“Oh Barry, so smart, thinks he knows what’s going on. But I want you to know something: If I knew what you would go on to become, what you would go on to do…I would’ve snapped your neck the moment I realized you knew my secret.” Oliver snarled and Barry stepped away from him, walking further into the gym.

“You’re not real, you’re in my head.” Barry tried to tell himself.

“Tell yourself that all you want, it won’t change what is true. And the truth Barry is that you destroy the lives of everyone you touch.” Oliver told him.

“Shut up, just shut up.” Barry said, trying to block Oliver out.

“It’s true though, you know it is. Look at your track record. Your mother was murdered by Thawne because he wanted to defeat you. And your father was killed by Zoom because he wanted to prove you were the same.” Oliver reminded him cruelly.

“That wasn’t my fault!” Barry lost him temper as he turned around to face Oliver. 

“No, it wasn’t,” Oliver agreed, “But look at what you have done to everyone you care about. Eddie had everything going for him; Iris was going to be his wife, Joe his father in law. But in order to save your life, he had to kill himself because you just couldn’t keep Thawne in his cell. You had to go back and see your mom and you didn’t even do anything! Eddie died for nothing! And your actions caused Ronnie’s death as well! And let’s not forget everything that’s happened because of Flashpoint. John lost a daughter; you wiped an entire person out of existence! Cisco’s brother is dead, murdered by you. And look at what you did to Caitlin. It’s not enough you all but murdered her husband, then you had to give her these powers that are slowly turning her evil. Sure, she had them under control when you left, but we both know it’s only a matter of time until she loses the fight and becomes Killer Frost in full. You destroy the lives of everyone you touch. There’s a price to pay for knowing you Barry Allen. Your parents payed it. Eddie and Ronnie payed it, Cisco, Caitlin, Wally. Are you really gonna stand there and tell me Joe and Iris are better off because they have had you in their life?”

“Shut up, just shut the hell up!” Barry shouted, putting his hands over his ears in an attempt to try and block out Oliver’s voice.

“Who’s life will you destroy next I wonder? Steve? Maybe Sam’s. Maybe…Wanda?” Oliver paused before lowering his voice before he said her name.

It was at that moment Barry lost it. Barry didn’t remember speedster over to him and shoving his vibrating hand through Oliver’s chest. But he remembered pulling it out and Oliver’s lifeless body falling to the floor. Barry stumbled back, staring in horror at what he had done.

“What did I do? What did I do?” Barry asked himself.

“What you always do Barry.” A familiar voice spoke up behind him.

“Eddie?” Barry asked as he looked over at his late friend.

“You destroy everything you touch Barry,” Eddie said as he walked up next to Barry, staring down at Oliver’s lifeless body, “I gave my life to help you, to save you and everyone else. But when you created Flashpoint, you undid my sacrifice. Because you poison the lives of everyone around you. You poisoned everyone’s life on Earth-1 and now you’re going to poison the lives of The Avengers. Whether you want to or not, it’s what you do. And there’s only one way to stop it Barry: By making the same sacrifice for them that I made for you.”

Eddie took his pistol out of its holster and held it out to Barry.

“It’s the only to protect them.” Eddie told him as Barry stared down at it.

“The only way…the only way.” Barry said as he picked up the gun, closing his eyes as he put it to his temple…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone says anything, I know…I’m pure evil. *Laughs evilly*


	15. Mothers and guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry receives guidance from someone very dear to his heart as the Avengers take on Cindy's Hydra cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more aimed at fanfiction, bit it applies here to. This is a response to a certain guest, but really goes for all readers, users and guests. It takes me all of five seconds to determine whether a review is constructive or just someone bitching at me. And the latter almost always ends up in the delete pile if it’s a guest.

Avengers compound  
Afternoon

Barry was in the gym, holding a gun to his head. He was about to pull the trigger when a hand, smooth and soft, was suddenly on the hand holding the gun.

“Don’t.” A woman’s voice, as familiar to him as his own, spoke up.

“I have to. It’s the only way to protect my friends. To protect them from me.” Barry said, his voice trembling as he looked over at the woman.

“My sweet boy,” Nora said as she smiled sadly at her son, gently pulling his hand holding the gun down, away from his head, “you will only cause them pain if you do this.”

“Better to hurt them now than to destroy them in the long run.” Barry argued.

“Your friends need you and you need them, whether you know it or not. You are no god Barry, you’re just a man. You make mistakes, but you can’t give up now. If you do, everything you have gone through, all the loss, all the sacrifices, all the victories, was all for nothing. Don’t let it be in vain Barry. You are not the man you were; he wouldn’t have even thought to ask the question of whether he deserved the suit. You are The Flash Barry, you always were. You’ve always had a good heart Barry, always. What is your heart telling you right now?” Nora asked and Barry was silent as he looked down at the gun in his hand.

“It’s telling me…that this is not the way. And my friends need my help.” Barry said before tossing the gun to the floor. 

“Better to have a good heart than fast legs.” Nora repeated what she had told him the day she had been murdered and Barry let out a humorless laugh.

“I miss you so much.” Barry said his voice cracking as he looked over at her.

“You’re never without me my sweet boy. I am always with you, in here,” Nara said as she put a hand on his chest, over his heart, “If you love someone, then they’re never really gone. You will always carry them with you, in your heart.”

Then, she was gone, as was Oliver’s body. The only thing left was the gun on the floor.

Washington DC  
Same time

“Looks like they’re already here.” Natasha noted as she landed the Quinjet, staring at the jet outside the warehouse. 

“Then we don’t have a moment to waste,” Steve said as he stood up, shield in hand, “let’s move out.”

Everyone stood up as Natasha lowered the ramp. The Avengers walked down, exiting their transport. However, before they could get far, they heard the sound of an engine. They looked up just as a missile hit the Quinjet. It exploded and sent them all flying.

Avengers Compound  
Same time

Barry was in Steve’s room, searching. Finally, he found what he was looking for: A box was in Steve’s closet and Barry took it out, setting it on Steve’s bed. Barry opened it up, revealing the lightning emblem on his new suit.

Washington DC  
Same time

With a ringing in his ears, Clint stood up shakily. He looked around, the fire blazing around him and seeing no sign of his teammates.

“Nat? Cap? Wanda?” Clint called out as he searched for them, his bow in hand. 

Hearing the cocking of a gun behind him, he froze. Turning his head slightly, he saw Cindy aiming an assault rifle at her head.

“Cindy I presume?” Clint said dryly.

“The famous Hawkeye. You know, I actually admire you. Armed with only a bow and arrow, you stand shoulder to shoulder with gods, super soldiers, and people with superpowers as they fight aliens, killer robots, and other threats. I almost feel bad about killing you. Almost.” Cindy said before she opened fire. 

There were too many to dodge and they were all in close range. Clint thought this was the end before a red blur appeared in front of him and, at lightning fast speed, caught all the bullets. As Cindy stood in shock, Clint saw it was The Flash that had come to his rescue.

“Barry?” Steve called out as he and the other Avengers appeared, staring at their speedster friend as he dropped the bullets onto the ground.

“I thought it was about time I did something.” Barry said, staring at Cindy, “you guys go on inside, we can’t let these guys get their hands on those weapons. I’ll handle her. Besides, we have unfinished business.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Steve ordered and the others followed him as he moved towards the warehouse.

“Thanks for the save kid.” Clint said and Barry nodded before Clint turned and followed the others.

“You really think you can stop me? Stop us?!” Cindy snarled before she opened fire on Barry. 

However, Barry once again used super speed to catch all her bullets. He then sped over and punched her. She went down on her back, the gun flying into the air. He dropped the bullets before vibrating his free hand. As the assault rifle came down, Barry struck it with his vibrating hand and it fell to the ground in two pieces.

As The Avengers walked in, they were suddenly being shot at from all sides. Wanda used her powers to stop as much of the bullets as she could, but she could only do that for so long. And even then, she couldn’t stop them all. So Steve threw his shield at a wall and it bounced towards one of the gunman. It hit his assault rifle, knocking it out of his hands and completely destroying before the shield bounded back towards Steve’s hands. Clint fired, getting one of the gunmen in the shoulder as Vision and Rhodey blasted some of the gunmen, Sam flew up into the air, dodging bullets as he flew at a gunmen and Natasha fired with two pistols as one of the Gunmen fled, only to run into Clint. 

“Going somewhere asshole?” Clint asked as he changed his bow into a Bo staff, whirling it around for affect.

“Why are you doing this?” Barry asked outside, staring at Cindy.

“I don’t owe you anything!” Cindy snarled, pulling out a knife and rushing him. 

But Barry, at super speed, side stepped her and reached out, grabbing the knife from her and, with his free hand, grabbing her arm and flipping her. She landed on the ground on her back, hard. 

“What do you have left to lose, huh?” Barry asked and Cindy chuckled.

“The one thing I regretted about all this was that I did like you and hated doing what I did to you,” Cindy admitted as she got to her feet, “alright, I’ll tell you: Tony Stark murdered my mother.”

“How did he murder your mother?” Barry asked in shock.

“Back when he was a weapons manufacturer. He had to test those weapons somehow. It was my mother’s job to make sure those weapons were safe to use. One day, she was testing some high tech missile launcher when something went horribly wrong. It exploded; the experts said it was something with the wiring. She died. I was only seventeen…and you know what Stark did? He didn’t even show up at her funeral,” Cindy said, her voice trembling with her emotions, “Because that is the man he is. He doesn’t care, about anyone or anything. He’s a monster, no better than the killer robots he and The Avengers unleashed on Sokovia.”

“You’re wrong,” Barry said and she glared at him, hate and anger clear in her eyes, “that’s who Tony was before. Not who he is now. I’ve met the man and he is not the person you’re describing. And even if he was, that doesn’t justify you signing on with Hydra and all you’ve done. You’re no better than what you think Tony is.”

Enraged by this, Cindy rushed at him with a snarl but Barry grabbed her and, at super speed, flipped her and brought her down, slamming her down to the ground.

“I doubt this is what your mother would want for you,” Barry said softly as he tossed the knife he had taken from her on to the ground, “to be so consumed by grief and rage you are willing to set the world on fire. Now, you can blame Tony for your mother’s death for the rest of your life, but I will never be like you. I am done blaming myself for mine.”

As he said this, Barry suddenly felt a great burden lift from his shoulders and realized it was true. Seeing Cindy, so consumed with rage over her mother’s death, made him realize what he could have become without Joe to give him the love and support he had needed during that difficult time. His mother wouldn’t want him to blame himself for her death…so he wouldn’t. He would honor her by living.

As Barry turned to walk away, Cindy suddenly grabbed the knife and lunged for him. Using his super speed, Barry dodged her strike and sent a hard punch to her head. She went down to the ground, out cold, as the knife clattered to the ground with a clink. 

“Some people can’t be reasoned with.” Steve said as he and the other Avengers walked out onto the scene.

“Someone told me once that when people break, sometimes they can’t be put back together.” Barry remembered Thawne’s words.

“Whoever it was, they were right Allen.” Natasha said as she put a hand on Barry’s shoulder.

“So did you get them all?” Barry asked as he looked over at his teammates.

“Yeah, they’re all either dead or unconscious.” Sam said and Barry nodded.

“So how are we getting home?” Barry wondered, seeing as the Quinjet was destroyed.

“There’s more than one mode of transportation here.” Steve said as he looked over at the jet Cindy and her crew had arrived in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so we’ll have one, maybe two more chapters of this arc then we’ll fast forward to the events of Civil War.


	16. The more things change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Tony each make an important decision as Barry asks Wanda a question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter more or less wraps up the Hydra Arc. Hope you enjoy it.

Avengers Compound

Morning

 

“The CIA have Cindy and her men in custody,” Steve told Tony as they sat in the conference room, Tony solemnly staring down at the report detailing the events in Washington, “they’re going to try and see if Cindy will give them anything, if this Hydra cell was working alone or if there are others…are you alright Tony?”

 

“Not really Cap,” Tony got to his feet and turned away from Steve, “when I shut down the weapons division of my company, it was because I didn’t want my legacy to only be death and destruction. But it’s like…no matter what I do, no matter how had I try to do good, it’s all I bring. I wonder…if I’ll ever be able to wash all the blood off my hands.”

 

“You’re not all powerful Tony,” Steve said and Tony looked over at him, a defeated look on his face, “You’re not a god; you’re human just like the rest of us. You make mistakes and you have to live with them. But the thing about having friends is that you don’t have to shoulder that burden alone.”

 

“Thanks Cap…but I think right now, what I need is to be alone.” Tony said and Steve nodded.

 

“Take all the time you need. But just know that we’re here for you if you need us.” Steve promised and Tony gave a slight smile.

 

“Thanks Cap.” Tony said before he walked off.

 

In his room, Barry was putting his suit in a box when someone knocked on his door. Barry looked up as Wanda lingered in the doorway.

 

“Is now a bad time?” She asked hesitantly.

 

“No, it’s fine,” Barry slide the box under his bed before standing up, “what’s up?”

“I wanted to see how you were after…” Wanda trailed off but Barry knew where her thoughts were headed.

 

“You’re worried about The Red Death,” Barry said knowingly and she nodded, “I’m fine…well, not fine. I’ve still got this stuff in me and I don’t know what it will do to me in the long run… But Tony has his scientists working on it, seeing if there’s a cure for The Red Death, so all I can do is wait. For now, I’m alive and I’m happy. Was there anything else?”

 

“I was wondering if you were hungry. You weren’t at breakfast.” Wanda said, deciding to take him at his word…for now.

 

“Speaking of food, I wanted to ask you something,” Barry said, standing up and shuffling his feet awkwardly, “I was wondering if...you’d like to go out to dinner. With me, that is.”

 

“Like…a date?” Wanda said slowly.

 

“Sort of…exactly like a date.” Barry said awkwardly, hoping he wasn’t scaring her off.

 

“I would love to.” She said with a beaming smile, which Barry returned with one of his own.

 

In the security room, Natasha watched, disturbed and saddened as a security tape played out before her.

 

_Barry walked into the gym, a glazed look in his eyes. He seemed to be staring at something, having a conversation with someone only he could see. Barry then stumbled back; clutching his face as if he’d just been punched. He then walked away, appearing to mutter to himself before putting his hands overs his ears, shouting at something or someone. Barry then turned around and shouted at something before speeding over, tackling a weapons cabinet. It was destroyed, weapons, including a gun, falling to the floor. Barr, stared, horrified at something invisible. Barry picked up the gun ,closed his eyes, and put it to his head. However, he didn’t pull the trigger. He continued to mutter to himself as he lowered the pistol from his head. He then tossed the pistol to the floor, looking over to the side. He looked about ready to burst into tears before looking around, appearing to see what he had done for the first time. Then, a determined look crossed his face and he sped out of the room._

“Well, that was depressing,” Clint said as he walked up to Natasha, “you gonna tell Cap?”

 

“No, not yet,” Natasha said after a moment, “the Red Death can mess with people’s heads. For now, I’m going to keep a close eye on him, see what happens from here. If it affects him anymore, I’ll talk with Steve about it.”

 

“It’s your call Nat. I’m gonna take off.” Clint shrugged and Natasha nodded.

 

“When can we expect you back?” She asked and Clint sighed.

 

“You won’t,” He said and Natasha looked over at him startled, “You’ll probably find out from Steve, but I wanted you to hear it from me: I’m retiring. There was a moment where I thought I was gonna die, if it wasn’t for Barry I would have. With Shield, it was different; it was part of the job. But Shield is gone now, there’s no reason for me to be here. You guys don’t need me anymore and I don’t wanna put my kids through that. I hope you can understand that.”

 

“I do,” Natasha promised as she stood up and faced him, “you’ve got a family Clint, hold onto them. Not all of us are so lucky. Just…don’t be a stranger, okay? You can leave the Avengers, but you don’t have to leave our lives.”

 

“Never could.” Clint smiled slightly and Natasha smirked.

 

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Natasha said, a pensive look on her face as she looked top the video feed to see Sam and Rhodey sparing in the gym.

 

“Change doesn’t have to be bad. Sometimes it can be good.” Clint told her and she nodded.

 

“Sometimes, but usually not.” Natasha agreed, having a pit in her stomach that made her feel like shit was about to hit the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the Tony/Steve scene was really to give a bit more weight to Tony’s actions in Civil War. I honestly have trouble getting into Tony’s head in CW. I mean, I know that Tony’s encounter with Mrs. Spencer put him on a guilt trip, but was that really enough to get Tony to ignore every inch of common sense and skill as a business man he had? Because any business man would take one look at The Accords and tell you they are not in the best interest of The Avengers, that it basically makes them useless. So here is how we get to the point where Tony ignores his good judgement and Civil War begins.
> 
> From Age of Ultron, it’s only implied Clint retires, it’s never stead and there’s really not a lot of substance behind his actions, so here’s more to Clint retiring.
> 
> No, quick question: Would you like a chapter where you see Barry and Wanda’s date or would you guys just like me to get into Civil War?


	17. The date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Wanda, with assistance, go out on their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, by popular demand, here is a date before CW. I apologize if this isn’t very good, I do not consider myself a good writer of romance, so again, I apologize in advance.

Avengers Compound  
Afternoon

“So, I hear you and Allen have a date tonight.” Natasha said as she walked up next to Wanda in the hall.

“How did you find out about that?” Wanda asked surprised and Natasha shrugged.

“Word spreads fast. So, where’s he taking you?” Natasha asked and Wanda eyed her wearily before answering.

“I don’t know. He told me he’s taking me to dinner and to dress casual.” Wanda said and Natasha nodded.

“Alright, come on.” Natasha grabbed her by the arm and led Wanda away.

“Where are we going?” Wanda asked surprised.

“To get you ready.” Natasha said with a smirk. 

Barry’s apartment  
Same time

Barry was packing up his stuff, getting ready to take it back to the compound, when his phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw Clint’s name on the screen and answered.

“What can I do for you Clint?” Barry asked as he zipped up a suitcase. 

“I hear you and Wanda are going on a date tonight.” Clint said and Barry paused.

“How do you-never mind,” Barry said, mentally cursing ex-Shield agents and their tendencies to find out secrets he didn’t want them to know, “what about it?”

“She likes roses,” Clint said randomly, “have her home before ten. And if you hurt her, no one will find your body.”

Clint then abruptly ended the call. Now, Barry was a speedster, but he figured if anyone could manage to kill him, it would either be Oliver or Clint. So, with that in mind, he began looking for the flower shop closest to the compound. 

Avengers Compound  
Late afternoon/early night

Wanda stood outside the compound, waiting. She was dressed in a red jacket with a matching shirt underneath and black jeans with red high heels. She felt a little uncomfortable in this get up but it was easier to let Natasha have her way. If you didn’t let her have her way, she went a lot harder on you in training. No one wanted that.

Suddenly, she felt a breeze blow through her hair and Barry stood before her, dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans with red tennis shoes.

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late, you…” Barry trailed off as he looked at her.

“What?” Wanda asked nervously as she shifted uneasily.

“Nothing, you just…you look nice. Really nice.” Barry said a look of awe on his face and she blushed.

“You look nice as well.” Wanda said her accent a little thicker due to her nerves.

“Hold on tight.” Barry said softly, putting an arm around her and they disappeared in a gust of wind.

Restaurant  
Night

Barry and Wanda sat in a booth in a restaurant as their waiter waited for them as they looked at their menus.

“I’ll have the lasagna.” Barry said as he looked up at Wanda.

“Same.” Wanda said and the waiter nodded, taking their menus and leaving them alone.

“So, what do you think?” Barry asked, gesturing to the restaurant, mostly just to make small talk.

“It’s nice,” Wanda said after a moment, “how did you come by it?”

“The owner is an old army buddy of Sam’s. He hooked me up.” Barry explained and Wanda nodded.

“This is awkward.” Wanda said bluntly and Barry couldn’t help but laugh and Wanda smiled a bit.

“Just a little.” Barry said with a smile and Wanda sighed.

“I am…not good at this. I have never…” Wanda trailed off but Barry got what she was saying.

“This is your first date?” Barry asked surprised and she nodded.

“In Sokovia, Pietro and were not worried about dates. We were simply concerned with how we would live to see next month. Then we were involved in the program that gave us our powers and then we were too consumed with vengeance against Stark.” Wanda said, wincing at the memory.

“It’s all in the past; you are not that person anymore.” Barry told her quickly and she nodded.

“Do you miss it? Your home? Back on your earth?” Wanda asked curiously and Barry nodded.

“All the time. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss my friends, my family, where I’m not filled with regret over how I left things with Cisco. But I can’t go back, only move forward. Which is what I’m trying to do here but you’re kind of making that difficult.” Barry joked and Wanda couldn’t help but giggle.

“I am sorry, I suppose I am…nervous.” Wanda admitted and Barry nodded.

“I get it, I’m a little nervous to. But If I’m sure of one thing, it’s that this,” Barry gestured between them, “is worth exploring.” 

“Why are you so sure?” Wanda wanted to know.

“When I first got here, I felt alone, even with the other Avengers. Except with you. With you, I didn’t feel alone or like an outsider or refugee on another earth. I just felt like me, I didn’t have to pretend like I was okay on the days that I wasn’t. I didn’t feel as broken up inside as I actually was with you. Being with, somehow, made it better. I didn’t ask myself why that was until I got injected with The Red Death,” Barry paused, “I think I’d known for a while you were becoming more important to me than the others, but I didn’t acknowledge it because I knew it would change things. But…I’m okay with that if you are.”

“I’m not sure where this will lead…but I’d like to find out.” Wanda admitted with a slight smile.

As the waiter arrived with drinks and bread, outside, in a tree, Clint watched this with a pair of binoculars. 

“Should your wife be concerned?” Natasha asked on the branch next to him.

“I’m just making sure he’s being good to her. No flowers yet but he’s not doing badly.” Clint said before his phone rang.

“You might want to get that.” Natasha said with a smirk and Clint eyed her wearily before putting the binoculars down answering.

“Laura? I know but…but she’s…fine,” Clint grumbled before hanging up, glaring at Natasha, “So we can add ‘tattletale’ to your list of skills.”

Natasha smiled smugly before disappearing and Clint shot one more look at the restaurant. Wanda was laughing at something Barry said and his gaze softened.

“Take good care of her kid.” Clint muttered before following Natasha.

New York  
Later

“Where are we going?” Wanda said a little frustrated as Barry led her somewhere, is hands covering her eyes.

“Just hang tight, we’re almost there. Okay, now open your eyes.” Barry said as he lowered his hands from her face.

Wanda opened them and was stunned and in awe of what she saw. She found herself in a maze of roses. 

“Clint told me roses were your favorite flower,” Barry told her, “I went to buy you a bouquet and the florist told me about this place. So what do you think?”

“I love it.” Wanda said as she looked at him with a beaming smile.

“Well it was not done yet.” Barry said as he looked up.

Wanda followed his gaze and saw only the night sky. After a few moments, she was about to ask Barry what was going on when the sky was suddenly filled with color. Wanda looked on, impressed by the colors and displays she had never seen before.

“They’re called fireworks,” Barry explained, “We use them in times of celebration. They set them off every year because it’s the anniversary of when this maze was planted. According to the story, this maze was a wedding gift to a bride from a man who proposed with nothing but his flower shop to give. And now it’s a tourist attraction, people come from all around the world to see it.”

“It’s beautiful.” Wanda said softly, walking over and picking up a rose before looking up at the fireworks.

“I’m glad you like it.” Barry said with a relieved smile.

“I love it.” Wanda said looking over at him.

Barry gazed down at her, her skin appearing multicolored due to the fireworks above them. She looked even more beautiful than before, he though wistfully. Barry reached out and placed a hand on one side of her face and she smiled. Barry leaned down and she closed her eyes as they shared their first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hope you guys enjoyed. Now, we are going to fast forward eight and a half months into Civil War next chapter. Just so no one’s confused.


	18. The Sokovia Accords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers become divided on a piece of legislation that would heavily impact them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, a few things. 
> 
> First, we’re going to be skipping a head to when The Avengers get The Accords, a month after Lagos. This is because it happens exactly as it did win canon. This is because, if Barry was there, there would likely be no explosion, so let’s just say he was off on another mission with Rhodey and Vison. 
> 
> My person preference will not impact which side Barry will take in the debate, as seems to be the case with some stories. In particular Team Iron Man, as they seem to bring in characters from about every fandom and make them side with Tony for reasons that make little sense. Barry decision s what I think Barry, as a character, would make.
> 
> If you came to this wanting one side to get bashed, you came to the wrong place. Neither Steve or Tony were right or wrong the whole time, that was the point of Civil War. While I personally lean to Team Ca, I think Steve acted irrationally a few times. I think Tony had excellent points about oversight and accountability, but went about it the wrong way. And I’m just not an overall fan of how Tony was portrayed in Civil War. Talk about character assassination.

Avenger’s Compound  
Afternoon

Barry walked into his girlfriend’s room and what he saw concerned him. Wanda was watching news report, talking about the incident in Lagos last month. Barry really hated that Steve had sent him, Vision, and Rhodey on a mission to Brazil in order to check out rumors of a Hydra cell. Maybe it was ego, but Barry felt if they had been in Lagos with the others, Wanda wouldn’t have been put in that position. 

Barry grabbed the remote off the side of Wanda’s dresser and turned off the TV. Wanda gave no sign she was aware of what happened, her knees drawn up to her chest as Barry sat down next to her on her bed.

“This wasn’t your fault Wanda.” Barry told her.

“Maybe you should turn the TV back on, they’re being very specific.” Wanda said as she looked over at him.

“You tried to save them. A lot of people are still alive because of what you did.” Barry told her insistently.

“And a lot more are dead because of me.” Wanda said in self-loathing.

‘No, because of me,” They turned to see Steve lingering in the doorway and he made his way into the room, “I should’ve clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it. Rumlow said Bucky and…all of the sudden; I was a sixteen year old kid again in Brooklyn. And people died, that’s on me.” 

“It’s on both of us.” Wanda disagreed.

“I swear, it’s like talking to two Olivers,” Barry said as he stood up, looking between his friend and his girlfriend, “we’re not gods, even though some people may think of us that way. We’re human, we make mistakes. We fail and we have to deal with that. But we need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and pick ourselves back up again. Because blaming ourselves isn’t going to bring those people back.”

“He’s got a point,” Steve said and Wanda looked over at him, “this job, we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes, that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live that, next time we may not save anyone.”

Wanda looked thoughtful when, suddenly, Vision walked through the wall and into the room.

“A little privacy please?” Barry asked, shooting an annoyed look at the AI.

Now, Barry cold understand that Vision was not used to respecting people privacy and even pitied him a little. After all, it must be weird to now have to adjust to human social norms. However, Barry got a vibe (excuse the pun Cisco) that Vision was into Wanda. And Barry wasn’t okay with that.

“The door was open so I assumed that…” Vision trailed off as they all stared at me. “Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark arrived.”

“Thank you. We’ll be right down.” Steve said politely and Vision nodded.

“I’ll just...use the door this time,” Vision said awkwardly as he moved to the door before he paused, “Oh and apparently he’s brought a guest.”

“Who?” Barry asked confused.

“The secretary of state.” Vision said before walking out.

“Thaddeus Ross? Isn’t that the guy who tried to lock Banner up and use him as a weapon?” Barry asked as he looked over at Steve, who looked concerned.

“The same.” Steve nodded.

“Why would Tony bring that man here?” Barry demanded, angry at having a man like that know his secret.

“I don’t know. Only one way to find out.” Steve said grimly.

Which was how Barry found himself in the conference room, sitting between Steve and Wanda, listening to Ross tell a story about golf.

“After thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army had never taught me: perspective,” Ross said as he looked at all of them, “the world owes The Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives, but while a great many see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word vigilantes.”

“And what word would you us Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asked wearily.

“Dangerous,” Ross declared, “how else would you describe a group of U.S. based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

Barry frowned as he stared at Ross. Barry didn’t particularly like how Ross emphasized the word ‘enhanced.’ Like it made them less than human just because they had powers. And the way he described The Avengers was like they were some out of control police unit. Before Barry could speak up, Ross turned around and turned on a screen behind him.

“New York,” Ross said as they were shown an image of The Hulk smashing through buildings before it changed to a bunch of vehicles in the sky coming down, landing in the water, causing the currents to drag civilians in, “Washington DC. Sokovia”

Barry looked away as the screen showed buildings falling down. Even though he had just been there for the last fifteen minutes of that fight, he still had some guilt over it. He felt partially responsible, even though he had no idea what had been going on at the time.

“Lagos.” Ross said as the screen showed the damages that had been left by the disaster of a mission.

As Wanda looked down, Barry took her hand, hoping to offer her some sort of comfort. If he hadn’t liked Ross before, he detested him now.

“That’s enough.” Steve spoke up and Ross nodded as he turned the screen off.

“For the past four years, The Avengers have operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” Ross said as he pulled out a think, paperback book.

He set it in front of Wanda and she picked it up as Barry got a look at the title.

“The Sokovia Accords?” Barry read and Ross nodded.

“Approved by one hundred and seventeen countries. It states that The Avengers will no longer be a private organization. Instead, you will operate under the supervision of the United Nations Panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary.” Ross explained.

Barry didn’t like the sound of that. And judging by the looks on Steve and Sam’s faces neither did they. How were they supposed to do their job if they had to ask for permission from the UN?

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that.” Steve spoke up.

“Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” Ross challenged and Steve was silent. “If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes, you can bet there would be consequences.”

Barry clenched his free hand into a fist, trying to remind himself that attack the secretary of state would not help his cause. 

“Compromise. Resolution. That’s how the world works. Trust me, this is the middle ground.” Ross told them.

“Really? Because it feels more like ‘do as we say or else.’” Barry said coolly.

“There are contingencies.” Rhodey interrupted, obviously hoping to stop a fight with Ross.

“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify The Accords. Talk it over.” Ross said before leaving.

“And if we come to a decision you don’t like?” Natasha spoke up boldly.

“Then consider yourself retired.” Ross said and Natasha smiled thinly, looking about as pleased as Barry felt.

A few hours later and they were still talking about it. Barry had sped read the entire thing and was now mulling over it as he sat next to Wanda as Steve sat in a chair, reading it. Tony and Natasha sat on the other couch as Vision sat on Wanda’s other side. Sam and Rhodey were standing, arguing about The Accords. Rhodey wanted to sign while Sam was dead set against it and was concerned about The Avengers getting locked up the moment they stepped out of line.

“I have an equation,” Vision spoke up and Sam and Rhodey’s argument stopped as looked over at him, “In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of enhanced persons has risen exponentially. As has the number of world ending events in that same period.”

“And you’re blaming us for that?” Barry asked in disbelief.

“I’m saying there may be a relation. Our strength invites challenge. Challenge breeds conflict. And conflict-conflict brings chaos. Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed.” Vision said.

“But these accords aren’t about oversight. They’re about controlling us.” Barry argued.

“Come on Barry, that’s not what they’re about.” Rhodey argued.

“To operate only when and if that panel deems it necessary,” Barry repeated Ross’ words, “That doesn’t sound like control to you guys?”

“Tony, you’re being uncharacteristically quiet.” Natasha noted and they all looked at tony.

“Because he’s already made up his mind.” Steve noted.

“Boy, you know me so well.” Tony said sarcastically as he stood up.

Tony walked over to the kitchen sink, grumbling something about coffee beans. He put his phone down and brought up a picture of a young, African-American man.

“Oh, that’s Charles Spencer by the way. He’s a great kid, computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put some miles on his soul before he parked t behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would’ve done. He didn’t go Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia,” Tony said and everyone looked away, feelings of guilt building up in them, “He wanted to make a difference I suppose. I guess we’ll never know, since we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.”

“Okay. You’ve made your point Tony.” Barry said wearily.

“There’s no decision making process here, we need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, then we’re no better than the bad guys.” Tony declared.

“Even if that means we have no free will of our own?” Barry demanded.

“Who says we don’t have any free will?” Tony demanded.

“This document does,” Steve interjected, “it takes away our right to choose Tony. We lose our right to choose, we may as well give up now.”

“I’m sorry Steve that is dangerously arrogant. This isn’t the world security council, it’s not Hydra, it’s the United Nations we’re talking about.” Rhodey argued.

“You sure about that?” Barry argued. “I mean, Hydra infiltrated branches of government all over. Is anyone completely sure Hydra hasn’t infiltrated the UN?” 

“It’s not possible.” Rhodey said immediately.

“Just because you don’t wanna believe it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.” Sam argued.

“Whether or not Hydra has infiltrated the UN doesn’t matter,” Steve said and they all looked at him, “we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if they send us somewhere we don’t need to go? Or what if there’s somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

“If we don’t do this now, it will be done to us later.” Tony argued.

“So we should just roll over and accept it? I’m not signing on with a man like Ross.” Barry said firmly.

“Maybe Tony’s right,” Natasha said and got several looks of surprise, “if we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off-”

“Aren’t you the woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam interrupted.

“I’m just-I’m reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.” Natasha reasoned.

“I’m sorry, I’m just focusing now. Did you just say I’m right?” Tony asked.

“Oh I take it back.” Natasha joked and Barry rolled his eyes.

“Really guys?” Barry complained as Steve got a text.

“I have to go.” Steve said before standing up and walking out, leaving the others staring after him in confusion.

“Steve?” Sam called after him but Steve didn’t respond, just walked out.

“Look, we need to be put in check.” Tony tried to bring the conversation back to focus.

“You mean put under the UN’s thumb,” Barry said as he stood up, “if this supposed middle ground is so good, why are we just getting this now? We should have gotten this months ago. It took me an hour almost to read through, at my speed. And even now, I’m still not certain I understand every aspect of it. A normal person would be able to read this after a few weeks, but we’re given three days to read it and decide. That doesn’t seem shady to you guys?”

While Natasha and Vision now seemed uncertain, Tony and Rhodey were clearly unmoved. AS he looked around, he saw only Sam ready agreed with him and Wanda herself seemed uncertain.

“You know what? Fine,” Barry raised his hands and walked towards the door, “I’m not doing this. I spent fifteen years having my life controlled by someone; I’m not doing it again. If I can save someone’s life, I’m gonna do it and no piece of paper is gonna stop me from doing it! If you guys wanna sign this, be my guests. I won’t be a part of it. I quit.”

The remaining Avengers watched in stunned disbelief as Barry then turned and sped out. By the time they realized what had happened, Barry had already left the compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barry obviously didn’t take a side here, but I think it’s obvious whose side he’ll pick when shit goes down. I did consider whether his upbringing by Joe, an honest cop, would make Barry has some sympathy for Tony’s plight, but at the end of the day, Barry is someone who is not going to ask permission to save someone’s life. He spent fifteen years having his life controlled by Thawne and then spent the next year being manipulated by Zoom. He is not going to give up control of his choices to people he doesn’t know or trust.
> 
> Because that’s what it comes down to. There seems to be a misconception that Team Cap just doesn’t want to answer to anyone. This is false. I don’t think any of them would have an issue with oversight. But The Accords don’t offer oversight, they offer control. The Avengers cannot make a move without asking the UN, who aren’t known for speedy decisions. How many lives do think would have been saved in previous MCU films if the Avengers had stopped to ask for permission? I’ll give you a hint, not a lot. The Accords are a deeply flawed and unconstitutional piece of legislation that should never see the light of day. I’m not anti Team Cap or Team Iron Man, I’m anti-Accords.


	19. Compromise where you can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Natasha show up to support Steve in this difficult time as Wanda worried for Barry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to apologize in advance for the ridiculously short chapter. The scene change following the last scene just felt too abrupt and sloppy, so I ended it here. 
> 
> Now, I considered just skipping ahead to the battle of The Avengers, but I think it just works better for story to have the movie play out.

_Avengers Compound, one month ago_

_Night_

_Wanda sat on the bed in her room, completely numb to the world around her. She kept going over it again and again in her head. If she had sent the bomb up a second, half a second sooner, if her powers had held on for just a second longer, what ifs constantly invading her mind._

_So lost in her head was she that she almost didn’t notice someone else enter the room. Barry didn’t say anything, simply sat down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and Wanda allowed herself to be drawn into his arms. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and allowed herself to cry. Barry still didn’t say anything; he simply held her, kissing the top of her head as she let out all her guilt and shame._

Now

 

Wanda sat up in bed, looking over to the side that was noticeably absent. It had been three days since Barry had left. Tony had told Rhodey he had tried tracking him down but Barry was being very careful. He had turned off the GPS in his phone and hadn’t taken any calls from Steve, Natasha, or Sam. Even Clint, when a concerned Natasha had asked him, hadn’t been able to find him.

 

Wanda pulled her phone to her with her powers and went to contacts. Her hand hovered over Barry’s name before she pressed call. She put the phone to her ear but it went straight to voicemail. His phone was off.

 

London

Same time

 

Barry had turned his phone off just before he entered the church. He sat down in one of the back rows and regarded the room. He spotted Sam near the front row when someone sat down next to him.

 

“So, all it takes is a funeral to find you?” Natasha asked casually and Barry sighed.

 

“What are you doing here Natasha?”  Barry asked wearily.

 

“Same reason you are I imagine,” Natasha said and Barry nodded, although he still eyed her wearily, “Wanda’s worried about you. You should call her.”

 

“And the moment I do, Tony’ll know where I am.” Barry said in frustration.

 

Natasha pulled out a cell phone and handed it to him.

 

“Burner phone, untraceable. Call your girlfriend when this is over.” Natasha told him as the funeral began.

 

Barry pocketed the phone in his suit pocket as the choir began singing. The entire church quieted, the only sound the choir singing as the pallbearers carried in the casket. Barry noted that Steve looked as though he had been crying as the casket passed their row. Natasha eyed Steve in concern as well.   Once the casket has been placed at its destination, Steve took his seat next to Sam as the pallbearers sat down.

 

“And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to say a few words.” The priest said from the altar.

 

A blond haired woman took the podium and Barry saw Natasha smirk as Sam gestured to her at Steve. There was clearly something he was missing here.

 

“Margot Carter was known to most as a founder of Shield, but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy,” Sharon began, “She had a photograph in her office: Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool but it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time where no one wanted to see a woman succeed in either. She said ‘Compromise where you can. Where you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say ‘No, you move.’’”

 

The rest of the funeral passed in a blur for Barry as he mulled this over.

 

“How many others have signed?” Barry asked quietly as it nears the end.

 

“Tony, Rhodey, Vision. Clint says he’s retired and Wanda is…undecided.” Natasha said and Barry nodded, “you’re not signing, are you? No matter what I or anyone else says.”

 

“I can’t Natasha,” Barry said as he looked over at her, “if we compromise here, if we give up our ability to control our lives, to choose, we win the battle but lose the war. I will always fight for what I think is right. This earth wants to tell me I can’t unless I sign a document I don’t agree with? Let them try and stop me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for the shortness of the chapter; the following chapters will be longer.


	20. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry calls Wanda as A ghost from Steve's past reemerges. Sam and Barry question Steve's motives as they make a plan.

Avengers Compound  
Afternoon

Wanda’s phone rang and pulled it out. Unknown caller flashed across the screen and she frowned before answering it.

“Hello?” She answered hesitantly.

“Hey.” Barry said awkwardly and she relaxed.

“Barry.” She breathed.

“Look, I’m sorry.” Barry said immediately.

“For leaving without asking me how I felt about it or for not calling?” Wanda asked a little anger in her voice.

“A little of both I guess.” Barry said and she sighed.

“Why didn’t you ask me if I wanted to come with you?” Wanda asked after a moment.

“Would you have?” Barry asked curiously.

“I don’t know.” Wanda admitted.

“I didn’t wanna make you choose between me and The Avengers. More than that, I didn’t want to make you choose between me and Pietro.” Barry told her.

“I would have chosen you.” Wanda said surprising Barry.

“Even over Pietro?” Barry asked stunned and she sighed.

“He’s in a coma and I’m not sure he’ll ever wake up. I can’t put my life on hold waiting for a day that may never come. If it comes to The Avengers and you, I pick you.” Wanda said.

“But it can’t just be about me,” Barry told her, “I don’t want your decision to be because you think it’s what I want. I want you to decide for yourself.”

“And…If I choose to sign The Accords?” Wanda asked hesitantly.

“Then I guess we’ll see where we go from there,” Barry said, knowing that it was what you called ‘irreconcilable differences’ but knew Wanda wouldn’t sign if he said that, “I love you Wanda.”

“I love you to.” Wanda said softly.

“I’ll keep in touch when I can. I promise.” Barry said before hanging up.

London  
Same time

Barry tossed the burner phone in the trash, leaning against the wall. Sam had talked him into staying at the hotel he and Steve were staying at tonight. Honestly, the man was very convincing. 

“Barry,” Barry looked up as Sam rushed over, “we got a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Barry asked, alarmed by the look n Sam’s face.

Not long after, Barry stood in the room Steve and Sam were staying in, Sharon on the phone as he, Steve, and Sam watched the news report about the bombing.

“Police have released a video of the suspect, which police have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, The Winter Soldier.” The reporter said, showing said video.

Barry and Sam both looked at Steve. Barry had heard a little about James, or Bucky as Steve called him. He knew Steve wanted to find him, make sure he was oaky. Steve believed Bucky could be saved. Barry wasn’t so sure.

“I have to go to work.” Sharon told them after she hung up.

Vienna  
Later in the afternoon

Barry and Sam sat at a café, eating lunch. Well, a snack for Barry. They were eating a cap and sunglasses to disguise themselves as Steve walked in, also wearing a cap and sunglasses.

“She tell you to stay out of it?” Sam asked.

“Yep.”

“She might have a point.” Sam pointed out.

“He’d do the same for me.” Steve argued.

“I1945 maybe.” Sam argued.

“It doesn’t make any sense, any of this,” Barry said and the two looked over at him, “you guys spent two years looking for him, nothing. Yet now he comes out into the open to bomb The UN? For what reason?”

“You think Barnes is being set up?” Sam asked and Barry shrugged.

“Either that or he’s just gone crazy. Which isn’t an option we can rule out, if half of what you guys told me Hydra did to him is true.” Barry said as Sharon walked over.

“Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everyone thinks The Winter Soldier goes to their gym. Most of it’s noise,” Sharon said as she put a file in front of Steve, “Except for this. My boss wants a briefing now, so this is all the heads-up you’re gonna get.”

“Thank you.” Steve said gratefully and she nodded before she left.

“What’s your play here Steve?” Barry asked, wanting to know what Steve was thinking.

“If Bucky’s being framed, I need to figure out why. Maybe he can tell us, have some Intel that will explain this.” Steve offered.

“And if he’s just gone batty?” Sam inquired and Steve was silent for a moment.

“Then I need to be the one to bring him in if he’s this far gone. I’m the one least likely to die trying.” Steve said and Barry and Sam exchanged a glance.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Barry said.

“You don’t have to come with me.” Steve pointed out.

“We know.” Sam said and Steve nodded with a grateful look as he picked up the file Sharon had given them.

Bucharest  
Later in the afternoon

After they’d suited up, Sharon’s file led them to what was apparently Bucky’s current residence, a rather modest apartment complex. While Steve went inside, Barry and Sam stood watch, Barry on a building nearby and Sam from the air. Both of them noted with alarm that German police were surrounding the area.

“Heads up Cap, German Special Forces coming in from the south.” Sam called in over the comms.

“Understood,” Steve said and paused, “do you know who I am?”

“You’re Steve,” A voice Barry could only assume belonged to Bucky was heard, like someone in the background of a phone call, “I read about you in a museum.”

“They’re setting up a perimeter Steve.” Barry said in alarm.

“I know you’re nervous, and you’ve got plenty of reason to be. But you’re lying.” Steve told Bucky.

“I wasn’t in Vienna, I don’t do that anymore.” Bucky said in an earnest voice that Barry couldn’t help but hope he was telling the truth.

“They’re entering the building.” Sam said alarmed.

“Well the people who think you did are coming here now. They’re not planning on taking you alive.” Steve warned Bucky. 

“Good strategy.” Bucky complimented with the air of someone talking about the weather rather than people trying to kill him. 

Barry saw police jump onto the roof and looked up at Sam. Sam was now in the line of fire of those men.

“Police are on the roof, I’ve been compromised.” Sam said as he flew away, out of their view.

Barry saw a cop holding a grenade launcher, taking aim at the window that belonged to Bucky’s apartment. He sped over to take him out but he wasn’t fast enough. He already got a shot off before Barry hit him, sending him down to the ground, out cold. Barry looked towards the building frantically to see the grenade break through the window. Nothing happened, so Steve and Bucky must have handled it. 

“Sorry.” Barry said to the unconscious office before speeding off.

Barry heard a lot of gun shots, grunting, and bangs over the comms, so he assumed Steve and Bucky were engaging the police. From his vantage point, he saw a man he assumed was Bucky throw out a duffle bag onto the roof of a nearby building before jumping from the balcony onto the roof. However, he soon found himself engaged with a man dressed in a black suit resembling a cat, claws and everything. 

Barry sped over to the roof top, reaching out, grabbed Black Cat’s hand, and tossed him away from Bucky. Black Cat landed hard on his back landing hard as Bucky stared at him in surprise.

“I’m a friend of Steve’s.” Barry offered as way of explanation.

“I figured.” Bucky said dryly as Black Cat stood up, his claws shinning.

Suddenly, a helicopter flew in, firing bullets at Bucky. Barry grabbed him and sped him down the rooftop onto the ground as Sam flew it, kicking the end of the chopper, causing the pilot to lose sight of Bucky and Barry. The pair looked up to see Black Cat sliding the down the side of the building using his claws.

“Go! He’s after you not me, go!” Barry shouted at Bucky. 

After a brief hesitation, Bucky ran, jumping down into a tunnel and running inside as Black Cat reached the ground. Barry rushed him but Black Cat got him in the arm with his claws, taking Him off guard. Black Cat then grabbed his other arm, elbowed him in the chest, and pushed Barry down into the tunnel. Barry landed hard on the hood of a car, causing the driver to skid to a stop and Barry went flying, hitting wall. Grounding, he looked u as Black Cat jumped down, Steve following him. As Black Cat went after Bucky, Steve passed, eying Barry.

“I’ll catch up, go!” Barry shouted and Steve didn’t need to be told twice.

As Barry shakily stood up, he looked down at his wounded arm. Whatever Black Cat’s claws were made off, it had cut through his suit. Something Tony had assured him was impossible. Suddenly, he heard sirens and looked up to see a police cruiser ride after Steve, Black Cat, and Bucky.

“Damn it.” Barry growled as he sped after them.

He got there in time to see Steve ride off after Bucky and Black Cat in the police cruiser he took after knocking the officer out without seriously injuring him. Suddenly, Black Cat jumped on the hood of the cruiser. Barry sped over, tackling Black Cat off the vehicle. Steve nodded in thanks before going after Bucky. 

“Sam, I could use a little help.” Barry said as he tossed Black Cat onto the ground.

“I’m on it.” Sam said as Black Cat made his move.

He clawed at Barry’s ankle and Barry cried out as Black Cat sent a kick to Barry’s feet, knocking him on his back.

“Stay out of my way!” Black Cat snarled before jumping up and running after Steve and Bucky.

“I’m immobilized, go after our new friend.” Barry grunted as Sam flew overhead.

Sam nodded and flew off. Moments later, various police cruisers rolled up, two stopping as the others moved on. Four officers got out and Barry swore. With his leg wounded, he wouldn’t have time to heal.

“Hands up!” One of them barked as they trained their weapons on him.

Mentally growling, Barry put his hands up and one of them pulled out a pair of cuffs, walking over and putting Barry in the cuffs.

“Congratulations Flash, you’re a criminal.” The officer growled in his ear as he and another officer helped Barry to his feet, no care for his wounded leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason Barry didn’t run from those officers is because when T’Challa cut his leg, he couldn’t stand on it until he it healed and even Barry doesn’t heal that fast.
> 
> The rest of the chase scene happens virtually the same from this point on.


	21. The plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve, Barry, and Sam are brought in with Bucky as they begin to piece together what is going on.

Berlin  
Afternoon

After he had been stripped of his suit and given civilian clothes, Barry had been put in his own armored car, separate from Steve, Sam, and the Black Cat, who Barry had learned was actually T’Challa, the new king of Wakanda. The police had wanted to put him in a similar prison to Bucky due to his speed, but Rhodey had convinced them to just give him his own armored transport.

Barry’s transport was filled with armed guards, which Barry found just a little over the top. Did they really think they could keep him here if he wanted to escape? He had super speed and had bene trained by Captain America and the Black Widow in combat!

The car stopped, as Barry figured they had arrived at wherever their destination was. One of the guards took out a key to unlock Barry’s handcuffs, but Barry had already phased out of them.

“Just so you know, could have done that at any time.” Barry said as he tossed the cuffs to the stunned officer.

Barry got out of the armored car, meeting Steve and Sam on the way in. They were in some sort of parking garage, police swarming about. Steve spotted Sharon and walked over to her, Barry and Sam following after him with T’Challa following them.

“What’s gonna happen to him?” Steve demanded.

“The same thing that ought a happen to you: Psychological evaluation and extradition.” The man next to Sharon explained.

“This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander.” Sharon explained. 

“What about a lawyer?” Steve demanded and, to Barry’s concern, Everett seemed amused, fighting the urge to laugh in Steve’s face.

“Lawyer, that’s funny, see that their weapons are seized in lockup,” He ordered to one of the officers standing next to him before turning back to them, “We’ll write you a recite.” 

As Sam grumbled under his breath, Barry saw Steve glance back at Bucky before they were led away. Barry’s heart went out to Steve, he could only imagine how he would feel if it were Cisco or Oliver in Bucky’s place. And based on Everett’s denial of a lawyer, Steve had every right to be concerned about Bucky.

Everett and Sharon led them through the building and Natasha walked up to them. Judging by the look on her face, she was in no way happy.

“This is what making things worse looks like!” She snapped at Steve as she walked up to them.

“He’s alive.” Steve said as though it made it worth it. In Steve’s mind, it probably did. 

T’Challa was led off to an office as Natasha led them into a room where Tony was arguing on the phone.

“You bet there will be consequences! Yes you can quote me on that.” Tony said before hanging up.

“Consequences?” Steve asked wearily, sounding about as thrilled as Barry.

“Secretary Ross wants you all prosecuted. Had to give them something.” Tony explained. 

“I’m not getting that shield back am I?” Steve said knowingly.

“Technically, it’s the government’s property now. Wings and suit to.” Natasha said as she and Tony began walking off.

“That’s cold.” Sam said.

“Warmer than jail!” Tony called back. 

“They’ve got a point,” Barry said and they looked over at him, “we played this wrong. We should have called Natasha in.”

“She’d signed The Accords, anything we did would come back to bite her later.” Steve argued.

“And look around Steve. Can you honestly say what’s happened is any worse?” Barry demanded.

Steve didn’t respond; as the three of them were led into the office they were assigned. After a while, Tony led Steve outside and they began talking as Barry saw Rhodey outside the glass walls.

“Hey,” Barry said as he approached Rhodey, “thanks for helping me out back there.”

“I almost didn’t.” Rhodey said bluntly and Barry winced.

“I had that coming. We played this wrong.” Barry admitted.

“What were you thinking?” Rhodey demanded.

“I was thinking this sounded off,” Barry sand and Rhodey looked at him confused, “Come on Rhodey, think about it. Steve and Sam have been looking for this guy for what, two years with no results. All of the sudden he comes out to bomb the UN? It makes no sense. Either someone is setting him up or he’s just snapped. He seems pretty sane to me.”

“She’s a kid!” Steve suddenly shouted.

“Give me a break!” Tony shouted back. 

Barry and Rhodey stopped their own argument as Steve put a pen in front of Tony, walking back into the office.

“Steve’s judgement is compromised when it comes to Barnes.” Rhodey told Barry.

“Maybe,” Barry agreed, “but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Or that I am.”

Barry then followed Steve inside the office, taking a seat next to Sam. Steve was still standing, watching as Bucky was on the screen, being evaluated by a psychiatrist. Sharon walked in, handing Sam a sheet of paper.

“Here’s the recite for your gear.” She told him.

“Giant bird costume?” Sam read off incredulously.

“I didn’t write it.” Sharon shrugged.

“Red spandex?” Barry read, feeling insulted.

“Like I said, I didn’t write it.” She said as she pushed a button.

A TV monitor turned on; showing the interrogation of Bucky, though they could hear it now. Steve shot Sharon a grateful look as they all watched it. The psychiatrist was asking Bucky a few questions, referring to him as Jams.

“My name is Bucky.” Bucky told him.

Steve looked down, this causing a great swell of emotion in him. Seeing the photo of ‘Bucky’ that was taken at the UN bombing, Steve picked it up, looking at it.

“Why would the task force release this photo?” Steve asked Sharon.

“Get the word out; have as many eyes looking for The Winter Soldier as we can.” Sharon explained.

“The Winter Soldier is a master assassin,” Barry noted, “If he was gonna bomb the UN, he wouldn’t get caught on camera doing it. This guy, he looks like he’s posing for the camera.”

“For what reason?” Sharon inquired.

“To flush Bucky out of hiding.” Steve said, nodding at Barry.

“You think someone set him up?” Sharon asked skeptically.

“Steve, we looked for him for two years and found nothing.” Sam argued.

“You guys didn’t bomb the UN.” Barry pointed out.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t guarantee they’d get him, it guarantees we would.” Sharon argued.

“Maybe that’s the point,” Barry said as he paled, “What if all this is to get Bucky here?”

Suddenly, all the light went out and red alarms blared. Barry and Sam stood up, looking around as a pit formed in Barry’s stomach.

“Sharon, where is Barnes?” Barry asked as he looked over at her.

“Sub-level five, east wing.” Sharon said immediately.

Steve nodded in thanks, the trio of Avengers quickly exiting the office and running out, Barry speeding ahead of Steve and Sam once they were in the clear. Barry reached the room, seeing Bucky out of his containment unit, a blank, vague look in his eyes as he stood in front of the psychiatrist. 

“Barnes?” Barry called out.

The psychiatrist said something in a language Barry didn’t understand and Bucky roared. In a speed that surprised Barry, Bucky rushed him, trying to strike him with his metal arm. At super speed, Barry dodged the strike but Bucky managed to grab him and threw him roughly. Barry hit the wall hard enough to go through it and landed hard on his back, debris surrounding him. He looked up, dazed, as Bucky rushed him once more and the last thing he remembered was the feeling of pain as Bucky’s metal fist connected with his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene where they meet Everett highlights another very important and disturbing aspect of The Accords: The ability to wave away the right to an attorney. It foreshadows the denial of a lawyer for Team Cap and their imprisonment aboard The Raft. A piece of legislation that allows a government to decide who does and doesn’t get a lawyer is not only unconstitutional, but is the beginning of a dictatorship. 
> 
> I think Steve and Sam could definitely have handled Germany better. At the very least, they could have called in Natasha, told her what they were doing, as she was shown to be sympathetic to Steve’s cause and was willing to help him. Yet another missed opportunity to prevent the Civil War.
> 
> One thing that is undeniable is that Steve definitely has a blind spot when it comes to Bucky. However, he doesn’t let it interfere with his decisions. He doesn’t ‘burn the world for Bucky’ as I have seen many try to claim. If you think he does, go back and rewatch the movie. While Steve does everything he can to protect Bucky, there is never a point where Steve places Bucky above his friends or where he endangers innocent lives to protect Bucky.


	22. The Winter Soldiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After they subdue him, Bucky explains what is going on to Steve, Sam, and Barry. Barry places a call to Wanda.

_Barry’s apartment, six months ago_

_Night_

_“Tony allowed you to keep it?” Wanda said as she and Barry walked inside the apartment Barry had lived in while he was undercover._

_“Yeah. And since I figured there’s not a lot of privacy at the compound, we could come here if we ever just wanted to be alone. Make this our place.” Barry said as he gestured to the apartment._

_“A place of our own…I like the sound of that.” Wanda smiled._

_“I was hoping you would.” Barry said with a matching smile._

_Wanda’s smile widened as she reached up and pulled him into a kiss._

Now

 

Barry groaned as he felt someone slapping him.

 

“Cut it out.” Barry grumbled as his eyes opened.

 

“Barnes got the drop on you?” Sam said amused as he helped Barry sit up.

 

“It’s not funny. My ankle still hasn’t fully healed from when T’Challa cut me; it slowed me down enough for him to get the drop on me. Plus, he’s a lot faster than I expected and it caught me off guard.” Barry explained.

 

Sam and Barry got to their feet and Barry saw Steve holding the psychiatrist by the collar against the wall. As Sam walked into the room, Bucky was suddenly there. Sam dodged his fist that collided with the wall but Bucky grabbed him by the chin, throwing him into the containment unit. Bucky then turned on Barry, but this time he was ready.

 

Barry dodged Bucky’s punch before swooping down at super sped and sending a kick to Bucky’s legs, knocking off his feet. Then, Barry sped back up and grabbed Bucky by his shirt and spun around, throwing Bucky into the wall.

 

“Stay down Barnes.” Barry told him firmly.

 

However, it was clear this was not Bucky, but The Winter Soldier. The Soldier stood up as Steve rushed in. Steve tried to rush The Solider but The Solider held up his metal arm and grabbed Steve’s fist. He punched Steve’s chest and then threw Steve. Barry sped over, grabbing Steve and stopping him from hitting a desk. They looked up to see The Soldier fleeing.

 

“I got him.” Barry said before speeding after The Solider.

 

Barry found The Soldier on the stairwell leading up and sped around him in a circle. Barry’s plan was to stall The Soldier while he built up enough charge for a lightning bolt. However, The Soldier reached out his metal arm and somehow managed to grab hold of one of Barry’s. He bent it back roughly and Barry cried out in pain as he heard a loud snapping sound and pain shot through his arm. The Soldier then punched him and threw him into the wall. The Soldier fled as Barry held his broken arm, Steve rushing up.

 

“Are you okay?” Steve asked as he saw Barry, hesitating.

 

“Fine, go after him,” Barry said as he held his wounded arm, “I’m no use with a broken arm. Go!”

 

Steve hesitated only a second longer before standing up and going after The Soldier. As Steve left, Barry pulled out his cell phone with his good arm. He dialed a number he knew by heart and put it to his ear.

 

“Barry?” Wanda answered.

 

“Tell me you haven’t signed The Accords yet.” Barry all but begged.

 

“I haven’t.” Wanda assured him quickly and Barry breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Good, don’t. I wanted you to choose what do, but if you sign these Accords, it will be the last free choice you ever make. If you sign them, you might as well be back in Sokovia. Promise me you won’t sign them.” Barry pleaded.

 

“I won’t,” Wanda immediately promised, “Barry, what is going on?”

 

“I love you. No matter what happens, I want you to know that.” Barry said his voice thick with emotion before he hung up, not waiting for her to respond.

 

Barry then vibrated his hand so it was hard enough before squeezing his phone. It shattered into a million pieces and Barry opened his hand, letting the pieces fall to the ground. He wouldn’t be using it anymore and no one could use it to track him.

 

Unspecified location

Later in the afternoon

 

After Barry had met up with Sam, the two had gone to where Steve had requested them to meet him, an abandoned warehouse. While Sam stood guard over Bucky, Steve tied Barry’s broken arm up with a cloth, making a makeshift sling.

 

“You sure this will do?” Steve asked as he stood back.

 

“I just need a few hours to heal. I’ll be good as new in about four hours.” Barry quickly assured him and Steve nodded.

 

“I’m sorry.” Steve began but Barry held up his hand.

 

“Not your fault Steve, it’s not his either. It’s the psychiatrist, who I’m guessing is not even a psychiatrist.” Barry said and Steve nodded.

 

“Fair guess.” Steve agreed.

 

“All this just to get to Barnes, why?” Barry wondered and Steve sighed.

 

“Hopefully, he’ll be able to tell us when he wakes up.” Steve said as they looked over to the unmoving Bucky on the floor.

 

“What were you and Tony arguing about before shit went down?” Barry asked and he saw Steve hesitant. “Not liking the look on your face Steve. What’s going on?”

 

“Tony has Wanda under lockdown at the compound.” Steve said carefully and waited for Barry’s reaction

 

“He what?!” Barry exclaimed as he jumped up. “I swear to god, I’m gonna kill him.”

 

“No you’re not.” Steve said knowingly.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Barry demanded.

 

“Because I didn’t think you attacking Tony in front of dozens of government agents was going to help our cause.” Steve explained.

 

“That’s…fair.” Barry started off angry but needed sheepishly.

 

“I reacted the same way. Tony was trying to convince me to sign, saying he could amend The Accords later and I was almost on board until he mentioned Wanda. Every time I think he’s seen the right way.” Steve sighed.

 

“Tony was playing you Steve,” Barry said and Steve looked confused, “I’ve grown up around cops and lawyers and I’ve worked with them for years. Tony already signed The Accords, the UN has no reason to change their mind about them and Tony has no leverage to get them amended. Tony would know that, he was just trying to get you to sign.”

 

“Cap, Barry!” Sam called out.

 

The two looked over to see Bucky was awake. They made their way over to the pair as Bucky zeroed in on Steve.

 

“Steve.” Bucky said.

 

“Which Bucky am I talking to?” Steve demanded.

 

“Your mom’s name was Sarah…you used to wear newspapers in your shoes.” Bucky said as he started laughing.

 

“You can’t read that in a museum.” Steve noted.

 

“What, just like that we’re supposed to be cool?” Sam demanded incredulously.

 

“What did I do?” Bucky asked as he eyed Barry’s wounded arm.

 

“Enough.” Steve said simply and Bucky moaned.

 

“God, I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words.” Bucky grumbled.

 

“Who is he?” Steve asked.

 

“I don’t know.” Bucky said.

 

“People are dead Barnes!” Barry snapped.

 

“The bombing, the setup, all just to get ten minutes with you.  I need you to do better than ‘I don’t know.’” Steve said firmly and Bucky thought for a moment.

 

“He-he wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.” Bucky said.

 

“Why would he want to know that?” Steve inquired.

 

“Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.” Bucky explained to their shock.

 

“I’m sorry, what now?” Barry demanded, desperately hoping he had misheard.

 

“In 1991, Hydra acquired five samples of an exact duplicate of the Super Soldier serum,” Bucky said, looking pointedly at a pale Steve, “They injected five people with it.”

 

“Who were they?” Steve demanded.

 

“Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in Hydra history, and that was before the serum.” Bucky explained.

 

“They all turn out like you?” Sam demanded.

 

“Worse.” Bucky said grimly.

 

“Could the doctor control them?” Barry asked.

 

“Enough.” Bucky said grimly.

 

“He said he wanted to see an empire fall.” Steve noted.

 

“With them he could do it,” Bucky said, “they can assassinate, infiltrate, destabilize. They could take down an entire country in one night and you’d never see them coming.”

 

Steve looked over at Barry and Sam and they got the message. They stepped back, having a more private conversation.

 

“This would have been a lot easier a week ago.” Sam pointed out.

 

“If we call Tony-” Sam began.

 

“He probably wouldn’t believe us. And even if he did-” Sam continued.

 

“On the chance of that big if, The Accords won’t let him help.” Barry said grimly.

 

“We’re on our own.” Steve said grimly.

 

“Maybe not,” Sam said and they both looked at him, “I know a guy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony’s so called olive branch to Steve is worth nothing. According to RDJ, Tony had no intention of following through with anything he promised Steve. He was just saying whatever crap he could in order to convince Steve to sign. This is confirmed in a delete scene that shows that Everett had already agreed to release Bucky into T’Challa’s custody, which Tony would know.


	23. Clash of The Avengers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Steve and the others assemble to stop the soldiers, Tony and his side attempt to stop them and a fight ensues. Barry's past comes looking for him.

Airport  
Afternoon

With some help from Sharon, Steve had gotten their suits and gear back and, with a car Barry had managed to lift, the four of them were on their way to meet the rest of the team Steve was assembling. They pulled into an airport parking garage next to a van. The four of them got out as Clint and Wanda got out of the van. Immediately, Barry sped over and grabbed Wanda and they two embraced as they kissed deeply.

“Are you alright?” Barry asked as he pulled back slightly, looking her over for any sign that she had been mistreated during her internment. 

“I am fine.” Wanda assured him as she put a hand on one side of his face.

“They didn’t do anything to her besides keep locked up there. Hey kid.” Clint said as he held out a hand to Barry, who stepped away from Wanda and gasped Clint’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Good to see you Clint.” Barry said as they dropped hands.

“You to. Cap.” Clint greeted as he turned to Steve.

“You know I wouldn’t have called f I had any other choice.” Steve said as they grasped hands.

“Hey, you’re doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt.” Clint said as he looked over his shoulder at Wanda. 

“Thanks for having my back.” Steve told her as they dropped hands.

“It was time to get off my ass.” Wanda shrugged and Barry smiled at her.

“How about our other recruit?” Steve asked.

“Rearin’ to go, had to put a little coffee in him.” Clint said as he opened the back, sliding door. 

A dark haired man with a slight beard who had been lying down suddenly shot up.

“God, what time zone are we in?” The man said before he saw Steve, getting a star struck look in his eyes as he walked over and shook his hand. “Captain America.”

“Mr. Lang.” Steve said calmly as the rest of them tried to hide their smiles/smirks of amusement.

“It’s an honor, I’m shaking your hand too long,” Scott realized and dropped Steve’s hand embarrassed, “this is incredible. Captain America,” Scott looked over his shoulder at Wanda, “I know you to, you’re great!”

“Isn’t she?” Barry smirked as he wrapped an arm around Wanda as Scott turned back to Steve, touching Steve by the shoulders before dropping his hands.

“I just wanna say I know you know a lot of super people, so thinks for thanking of me,” realizing he was stammering, Scott pointed over at Sam, “hey man!”

“What’s up Tick Tack?” Sam greeted.

“Good to see you. Look, what happened last time-” Scott began.

“Was a great audition but it’ll never happen again.” Sam told him.

“They tell you what we’re up against?” Steve inquired.

“Something about some psycho assassins?” Scott inquired and Steve nodded.

“We’re outside the law on this one. So if you come with us, you’re a wanted man.” Steve warned him.

“Yea well, what else is new?” Scott said.

“I like this guy already.” Barry said and Clint smirked.

“So do I.” Clint mttered.

“We should get moving.” Bucky suggested.

“I got a chopper lined up.” Clint said before alarms blared and a man speaking in German came over the intercom.

“They’re evacuating the airport.” Bucky translated. 

“Stark.” Sam said and Barry nodded.

“Most likely.” Barry agreed.

“Stark?” Scott questioned.

“Suit up.” Steve ordered.

“What’s the plan Steve?” Sam inquired.

“You three,” Steve gestured to Barry, Sam, and Bucky, “head to the shopping area. They came in a Quinjet. Sam, use Red Bird and find it. Clint, Wanda, go to the parking deck. Scott, I have a special job for you. Let’s move out.”

A little later, Barry, Sam, and Bucky, all suited up, watched from the windows as Steve was intercepted by Tony and Rhodey and, shortly afterwards, T’Challa. Steve appeared to be trying to talk to Tony but Tony didn’t appear to be too concerned with what Steve was saying.

“Tony isn’t listening.” Barry said dismayed, having hoped they could talk some sense into Tony.

“This surprises you? He hasn’t been listening to us since The Accords showed up.” Sam scoffed as they saw Natasha appear on the scene.

“Who the hell is that guy?” Bucky asked as they saw a guy in a red and blue suit take Steve’s shield with some sort of white substance that he then used to bind Steve’s hands with.

“I don’t know, but we should definitely watch out for him,” Sam noted before frowning, “Steve, we found it. The Quinjet’s in hanger five, north runway.” 

Steve raised his hands, as if surrendering, and Clint shot an arrow, which broke through the binds. Barry sped off as Sam and Bucky ran after him. He heard the sound of shattering glass and Barry stopped, turning around to see the man in red and blue holding Bucky’s metal arm as Sam was down. Barry sped over; punching the man and the man went flying as Sam stood up.

“Looks like its starting.” Sam said as they heard some explosions from outside.

“You should get to the Quinjet.” Bucky told Barry but Barry shook his head.

“I’m not leaving without you guys.” Barry argued as the man in red and blue shot some more of that white substance at them. 

Barry pushed Bucky out of the way before speeding out of the way. Sam flew up into the air, tackling the man. They struggled for a bit before the man jumped away from Sam. Barry ran along the wall, using his speed to run up onto the ceiling and reach the man. He punched the man and he was sent flying but used some more of the white substance that seemed to shoot out of his hands and propelled himself back at Barry. He then shot out some more of that substance, which wrapped around Barry legs, and used it to throw Barry off the ceiling. Barry, quickly, rotated his arms enough that it generated slight cyclones, which allowed him to hover above the ground enough that, when he stopped, Barry was able to land on his feet smoothly.

Barry then looked up to see the man throw something at Bucky, sending him falling Before Sam flew at him. The man blocked Sam’s thrusters and Sam was sent falling into a stand. 

“Who the hell is this guy?” Barry muttered.

Getting an idea, Barry sped around in a circle, building up a charge. Barry sped off after the man as he kicked Bucky and Sam through a glass wall. Barry threw the lightning bolt at him and it hit the man. The man cried out as he was sent flying, crashing through another class wall.

“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” Bucky joked as he and Sam stood up from where they had fallen.

“I hate you.” Sam said as he glared at Bucky.

“No time for arguing, we gotta go.” Barry said before speeding down, grabbing them, and speeding out.

They sped outside and Barry was about to speed to the Quinjet to secure it when something happened. A giant blue portal opened and everyone stopped to stare at it. Barry for a different reason than the others.

“What the hell is that?” Bucky asked.

“That is a breach.” Barry muttered staring at it stunned.

The breach simply stood there for a second before it closed. They simply stared, wondering what that was about until Steve called to them.

“Come on, there’s our ride!” Steve called out, running towards the Quinjet.

The others began following him, Barry preparing to speed towards it when a yellow beam appeared in front of them, cutting a line in the concrete. They paused, looking up as Vision floated above them.

“Captain Rogers! I know you are only doing what you believe to be right, but for the collective good, you must surrender.” Vision said in a booming voice. 

Barry stood between Steve and Bucky, eying their odds. As Vision floated down, Rhodey flew back in, tossing T’Challa onto the ground with the rest of Tony’s side and the man in red and blue swung back over, T’Challa and the man landing gracefully. This was not good.

“What do we do Cap?” Sam questioned as they all waited for Steve’s ordered.

“We fight.” Steve ordered in a voice that was resigned but firm.

They began moving forward, their intentions clear. Tony and his side began moving forward as well and it was on. Clint notched an arrow, Wanda’s hands glowed with red energy, and Barry sped forward. Barry jumped, speeding towards the man in the red and blue suit, landing a punch right in the kisser. The man was sent flying back but shot out more of that white substance to catch on a bridge and used it to swing himself back. Barry sped out of the way of him, grabbed him by the back, turned around at super speed, and flung him back. The man hit the side of a truck and it turned on its side as the man was dazed.

“Stay down. I don’t want to hurt you but I will if I have to.” Barry warned him.

“Sorry man, I got one job here and I have to impress Mr. Stark.” The man said, speaking to Barry for the first time.

Barry was surprised by how young the man sounded; he couldn’t have been older than eighteen. Where did Tony find someone so young?

Barry’s musings were cut off when the man shot that substance at him. Barry sped out of the way but couldn’t avoid the second shot. It grabbed his feet and yanked him down. Barry landed hard on his back before the man shot him all over with the substance and Barry suddenly realized what it was.

“Is this-is this webbing?” Barry asked.

“Just a gift from your friendly neighborhood Spiderman!” Spiderman said before shooting off and swinging away.

Barry scowled before vibrating his entire body. He stuck a fist out and punched through the webbing, standing up and shredding the rest. He sped after Spiderman to see him fighting Steve. As he moved to attack Steve, Barry sped over, punching him. Spiderman swung back, landing on top of a bridge.

“stark tell you anything else?” Steve asked.

“You’re wrong. You think you’re wright and that makes you dangerous.” Spiderman said before jumping off the bridge. 

He swung down and Barry intercepted him with a high speed, flying kick. It forced Spiderman back and he hit the leg of the bridge, back first. He landed on his butt and Steve threw his shield. It hit the leg and the body began to come down. Spiderman jumped to his feet, holding his hands up and catching the bridge.

“You got heart kid,” Steve said as he picked up his shield, “where you from?”

“Queens.” Spiderman said, grunting under the pressure and Steve chuckled.

“Brooklyn.” Steve said before Barry grabbed him and sped off.

They made it to a corner by Bucky, all of them looking around.

“The guy’s probably in Siberia by now.” Bucky worried.

“We’re wasting time. You guys get to the jet, we’ll handle them.” Barry told them.

“No, all three of you get to the jet,” Sam said over the comms, “The rest of us aren’t getting out of here.”

“As much as I hate to say it, if we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it.” Clint added.

“You guys sure about this?” Barry asked as he saw a matching hesitation in Steve

“We are Avengers, it is our job.” Wanda said.

“This isn’t the real fight.” Sam added and Steve sighed.

“Alright, what’s our play?” Steve asked, finally giving in.

“We need a diversion. Something big.” Sam said.

“I’ve got something big, but I can’t hold it for very long,” Scott said over the comms, “On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half, don’t come back for me.”

“He’s gonna tear himself in half?” Bucky questioned.

“You sure about this Scott?” Steve asked hesitantly.

“I do it all the time! I mean once. In a lab. Then I passed out.” Scott said growing more unsure of himself as he spoke.

They exchanged uncertain glances but there was nothing they could do. Suddenly, a giant version of Scott appeared in the air field, grabbing Rhodey by the legs.

“Wow.” Barry said as they all stared.

“I guess that’s the signal.” Steve noted.

“I’ll secure the Quinjet.” Barry said as he sped forward.

He sped to the hanger but stopped, staring.

“You really wanna do this Barry?” Natasha asked as she aimed her bracelet at him.

“We both know neither of us want this but we won’t stand down.” Barry noted.

Natasha nodded sadly before firing at him. Barry dodged the electric discharge before speeding towards her. He aimed a punch towards her but Natasha, predicting this, had already ducked down and grabbed hold of his leg. Barry quickly snatched her off but Natasha jumped up and managed to get on his back.

“You may be faster, but I taught you how to fight. I know your moves before you do.” Natasha said before blasting him with the electric discharge.

Barry cried out as she jumped off him. Barry fell to his knees, gasping in pain as Natasha took aim but didn’t fire.

“I don’t wanna do this Barry. Please don’t make me.” Natasha said as Barry noticed that, for her Natasha’s voice was almost shaking.

“I have to. There are five Winter Soldiers Natasha. Even more dangerous than Barnes. The doctor, he’s behind all of this Natasha. He can bring down an entire country in a single night with them.” Barry explained and Natasha was silent.

They heard something begin to fall and looked over to see a bunch of rubble falling before it glowed red, suspending it.

“That’s my girl.” Barry said fondly as Steve and Bucky began making their way through it.

However, pride quickly turned to horror as Wanda cried out in pain and the rubble began to fall of Steve and Bucky. Acting fast, Barry sped in and got them out of there before the rubble fell on them, dragging them into the hanger.

“Is Rhodey trying to kill you?!” Barry exclaimed.

But Steve’s attention was solely on Natasha and Barry paused, looking to Steve. He knew the bond that existed between them and knew this was going to be hard for both of them.

“You’re not gonna stop.” Natasha said knowingly.

“You know I can’t.” Steve said almost sadly.

Barry saw T’Challa sneaking up behind them and, acting fast, Barry rushed him. Barry punched him but T’Challa released the claws and tried to slash Barry. However, this time Barry was prepared. Barry jumped up and avoided the claws, sending a high speed kick to T’Challa’s chest. He wasn’t going to underestimate those claws again.

“Go.” Natasha told Steve, lowering her arm and Steve nodded in thanks.

As he saw Steve and Bucky making a break for the Quinjet, T’Challa jumped passed Barry and tried to run after them. However, Barry sped over and circled him at high speed. He built up a charge before he threw a lightning bolt at him. It hit T’Challa in his chest and T’Challa was sent falling back. However, he stood right back up, although a little slower than last time.

“Just stay down!” Barry shouted in frustration.

“He killed my father!” T’Challa shouted.

“No, he didn’t!” Barry shouted back.

With a roar, T’Challa rushed him but Barry ducked down and knocked T’Challa off his feet before stepping back. Hearing the blaring of engines, Barry, T’Challa, and Natasha looked up as the Quinjet roared to life. T’Challa tried to jump on it as it started taking off but Natasha blasted him with her bracelet. He went down to the ground as the jet took off.

“I said I’d help you find him, not catch him,” Natasha said as he got up and glared at her through his mask, “there’s a difference.” 

Barry sighed, knowing what he had to do now. Barry got down on his knees, holding up his hands in the air.

“Do what you gotta do Nat.” Barry said resigned and she nodded.

She walked over, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

“Barry Allen, you are under arrest for violation of the Sokovia Accords, adding and abetting a fugitive, and obstruction of justice.” She said sadly as she placed him in the cuffs. 

Avengers Compound  
Later in the afternoon

Tony was on his way to the chopper when a blue portal opened up near it. Tony stepped back, more out of surprise than anything, when a Latino man with longish black hair jumped out and the portal closed.

“Wow. Am I in the right place?” The man wondered as he looked around.

“Who the hell are you?! And where did you come from?!” Tony snarled and the man held up his hands defensively.

“Sorry to just jump in like this. My name is Cisco Ramon and I’m looking for an associate of mine: Barry Allen.” Cisco said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you probably picked up with Barry’ musing about Peter’s age, I have so many issues regarding Tony blackmailing Peter into becoming a child soldier. How anyone can be on Tony’s side in the movie after that is so beyond me. 
> 
> Rhodey should be charged with, at the very least, reckless endangerment for his attack on Wanda. It was nothing less than pure luck than Steve and Bucky were not killed by the rubble when Rhodey stopped Wanda’s from levitating it and it would have been Rhodey’s fault if they died.
> 
> Yes, Cisco is here! Next chapter, we’re going to take a short break from Civil War and revisit Earth-1 in flashbacks. We’re going to pick up the day after Barry has disappeared and explain why it took them so long to find him. Because there’s a reason and it’s not that Cisco was a dick about it.


	24. Cisco's tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On EArth-1, Team Flash realize Barry is missing and attempt to figure out what has happened. In the present, Ciso learns where Barry is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not my best chapter, but I hope you enjoy this.

Star Labs, Earth-1  
The morning after Barry vanished from Earth-1

Cisco walked into Star Labs, a sour mood marring his usually cheerful face. When he had gone home last night, Barry’s stuff was there, as Barry obviously hadn’t been by to get it yet. Cisco had roughly packed it in a box and left it outside in the hallway. When he walked out his front door this morning, it was still there. He figured Barry hadn’t come because he didn’t have the courage to face him. The coward, Cisco thought angrily.

Cisco made his way into the cortex to see the Wests, Caitlin, and HR already there. They were discussing something in quiet tones but stopped as soon as they saw him, like children with their hands caught in the cookie jar.

“What’s going on everyone?” Cisco asked as he walked in, noticing how everyone seemed to share an uncertain glance as though he was an intruder to some private meeting

“Cisco,” Caitlin began gently as she walked over to him, “when was the last time you saw Barry?” 

“We talked after he got back from seeing Albert,” Cisco said shortly not wanting to talk about Barry, “why?”

“Because he’s missing.” Joe said and Cisco blinked.

“Missing?” Cisco repeated, not quite comprehending what he was hearing.

“We haven’t heard from him since last night and every time we call his phone, we just get static.” Iris said clearly worried.

For a moment, two sides of Cisco warred against each other. Dante’s brother said he shouldn’t care what happened to the man who killed his brother but Barry’s friend wanted to make sure Barry was alright. After a moment, Barry’s friend won out.

“The tracker in his suit will let us know where he is.” Cisco said as he was walked over to the computers.

“Cisco, thank you.” Joe said gratefully.

“We’re not friends,” Cisco denied before softening his voice, “but that doesn’t mean I want him hurt.”

There was silence in the room, the only sound Cisco typing and the computers humming as it searched for Barry. A beep sounded and Cisco frowned as he stared at the screen. 

“This can’t be right.” Cisco muttered to himself.

“Cisco?” Caitlin called out.

“The tracker is tuned into the Star Labs satellite, which should track Barry anywhere in the world. But it’s not picking up anything.” Cisco muttered.

“How is that possible?” Wally asked confused.

“I’m not sure. Let me see where the signal stopped last,” Cisco ran a scan and had the result within seconds, “Okay, it was downtown just after 1:00 this morning.”

“Where exactly Cisco?” Joe inquired.

Central City  
Late morning

Joe parked his cruiser on the side of the road and got out.

“Okay, I’m here Cisco.” Joe said as he looked around the street.

“Do you see anything out of the ordinary?” Cisco asked over the comms and Joe looked around.

“No, not really. Some cars, trash bags, and…a traffic cam.” Joe looked up and saw the camera.

Star Labs  
Afternoon

Cisco had hacked into the traffic cam and was going over the footage. Cisco paused it and the screen showed an image of a red blur going through a blue portal. 

“Is that a breach?” Joe asked.

“Yep. Barry went so fast that he opened a breach again.” Cisco said as he leaned back in his chair.

“Again?” Wally repeated.

“When Barry first got his speed upgrade, he accidently traveled to another earth. Spent some time there, said something about a Supergirl, I don’t know,” Cisco said as he leaned back in his chair, “this is gonna be a problem.”

“Why, can’t you just go get him?” Wally asked, not understanding the problem.

“Do you know how many earths there are? Neither do I, because there are so many! It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack!” Cisco snapped.

“So what do we do then?” Iris asked annoyed.

“We’re gonna need some help,” Cisco said after a moment, “we’re gonna need someone good. Someone smart. Someone who takes impossible tasks like it’s simple math. We’re gonna need-”

Later, in the breach room, Team Flash stood back a breach opened up. A dark haired man jumped out and stood up as the breached closed.

“Harry.” Cisco greeted.

“Ramon. Everyone. So Allen got himself trapped on another Earth again?” Harry asked.

“Yeah and we need your help to find him.” Caitlin said.

“And my Doppelganger is incapable of finding him?” Harry asked as he looked over at HR with a hint of resentment on his face.

“He’s a total fake,” Cisco said and Harry was surprised, “he literally comes from the one earth where Harrison Wells is not a genius. You were right about him.”

“Then why is he still here?” Harry asked confused.

“Because we couldn’t do it without him.” Cisco looked pained to admit it as HR bowed.

“You’re welcome Francisco.” HR said and Harry raised an eyebrow.

“Francisco?”

“Don’t ask,” Cisco grumbled as they began walking out of the Breach Room, “You’re the Breach expert, any ideas?”

“The key is Barry’s Speed Force signature.” Harry explained.

“Speed Force signature?” Iris repeated confused and Harry sighed impatiently.

“Every speedster gives one off. It’s always distinct to the specific speedster; even Doppelgangers from other earths won’t have the same one. We find it, we find Barry.” Harry explained.

Avenger’s Compound  
Now

“..And then we invented a machine designed to search for Barry’s Speed Force signature and after searching half the multiverse for it, here we are a week later.” Cisco finished his story and Tony stared at him skeptically.

“A week?” Tony said skeptically.

“Yes, is that a problem?” Cisco asked, not sure what was up with this guy.

“I know Barry,” Tony said and Cisco started, “and if you’re really Cisco Ramon, tell me something only Cisco would know. When Barry came back from creating Flashpoint, why were you mad at him?”

“Because he wouldn’t go back in time to save my brother.” Cisco said, a hint of anger and resentment unconsciously creeping into his voice.

“…Okay, I’m convinced.” Tony said, still looking at Cisco oddly.

“Well then what’s the look for?” Cisco asked irritated.

“You say Barry’s been missing for your earth for a week?” Tony asked and Cisco nodded. “Well, he’s been on ours for over a year.”

“A year?” Cisco squeaked and Tony nodded. “But…how?” 

“I don’t know, how should I know? It’s not like I’m a speedster expert.” Tony said irritably.

“Wait,” Cisco said as he thought of Barry telling him of Supergirl and Cisco’s eyes widened, “oh my god.”

“You know how it happened?” Tony guessed, recognizing the look of someone who had a revelation of great importance.

“I have a theory. I’ll tell you once you tell me where Barry is.” Cisco said, not quite sure he trusted this man.

“Yeah, that’s gonna be a problem.” Tony said awkwardly, knowing Cisco was probably going to take this badly.

“Why?” Cisco asked, a pit of dread forming in his stomach.

“Because he’s in a maximum security prison.” Tony said and Cisco could only stare at him, stunned as his jaw hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I’ve given you half the answer as to why it took so long for Cisco to find Barry. A week has passed on Earth-1 as compared to a year on The Avengers’ earth. As to why, well, you’ll find out next chapter why there is such a huge gap of time between this earth and Earth-1. 
> 
> I hope the Speed Force signature thing makes sense.


	25. The reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is tormented by his past as Cisco and Tony strike a bargain with Ross.

Chopper, en route to The Raft

Night

 

“So, what exactly did Barry do to land himself in here?” Cisco asked as he sat next to Tony in the chopper that was on its way towards where Barry was being held.

 

“There’s this new law that prohibits vigilantism unless you abide by the approval of the UN. Barry was part of a group that decided they’d rather not,” Tony said vaguely.

 

Cisco eyed Tony in suspicion. He had a very good feeling that Tony was omitting certain facts. Because, as reckless as Barry could be sometimes and as angry as he still was over Dante, Cisco just couldn’t see Barry going against the UN without a good reason. Cisco’s train of thought was suddenly cut off as he saw something beginning to rise up out of the ocean below them.

 

“What the hell is that?!” Cisco exclaimed startled.

 

“The Raft. It’s where Barry is being held,” Tony explained.

 

Down in The Raft, Barry was in his cell, lying on his cot. He had been separated from Clint, Sam, and Scott, placed in a separate cell. He knew Wanda had been placed somewhere in this section of the prison, but he didn’t know exactly where. He fingered the collar around his neck which was inhibiting his powers. He never realized how slow the world moved until he didn’t have his speed.

 

“It’s funny how slow the world moves when you don’t have super speed, isn’t it?” A familiar voice spoke up.

 

Barry sat up and looked over to the side of his cot. Harrison Wells stood in the corner, but the sadistic smirk on his face gave away who it really was.

 

“Thawne. Great, another Red Death hallucination,” Barry sighed.

 

“Been a couple months since that’s happened, hasn’t it Barry? You remember the last time, right?” Thawne asked as he circled Barry, like a shark circling its prey.

 

“How could I forget?” Barry asked softly, remembering back a few months ago.

 

_Barry’s apartment, two months ago_

_Night_

_For a night away, Barry had taken Wanda back to his apartment for some alone time. They were watching a movie when Wanda fell asleep on his shoulder. Barry was content to simply watch her sleep when a voice spoke up behind him._

_“How could you do this to me?”_

_Barry looked over his shoulder to see Iris standing behind him, a look of betrayal and pain on her face._

_“You’re not her. You’re not real,” Barry said as he turned away from her, trying to block out her voice._

_“I am as real as you are. You betrayed me with her,” Iris hissed as she walked around, kneeling in front of him, glaring at Wanda hatefully._

_“Iris, I’m never going to be able to see you again,” Barry said patiently, wrapping his arms around Wanda’s sleeping form protectively. “The moment the tachyon device was destroyed, our relationship ended. The real Iris would understand that. But you aren’t her.”_

_“You love me, I know you do,” Iris pleaded as she placed her hands on either side of his face._

_“I loved you. But you’re gone, many earths from this one. You’re basically a ghost to me now. And I can’t love a ghost for the rest of my life,” Barry said as Wanda stirred._

_“Barry?” Wanda questioned, opening her eyes as Iris seemed to disappear._

_“Hey, sorry if I woke you,” Barry said, trying to play it off._

_“Who are you talking to?” Wanda asked._

_“No one,” Barry said quickly and Wanda gave him her ‘I know you’re lying to me’ look._

_“Barry,” Wanda said and he sighed._

_“Another Red Death hallucination,” Barry said and Wanda took his hand, hoping to offer comfort. “This time it was Iris, telling me I betrayed her because I’m with you.”_

_“Do you believe that?” Wanda asked as she put a hand on the side of his face._

_“No,” Barry assured her. “But even if I did, it doesn’t matter. Iris is far from this earth, I’m never gonna see her again. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her. Joe, Oliver, Cisco. But I can’t stop that from making me live my life. And I want a life with you; I want to build a future with you. Because I love you Wanda Maxmioff.”_

_“I love you to Barry Allen,” Wanda smiled beamingly before pulling him in for another kiss._

_The kiss started off gentle and sweet but quickly turned aggressive. Wanda pushed Barry on his back before removing his shirt…_

Now

 

As Tony talked to Ross about the files he had sent him, Cisco looked around. The more he saw, the more concerned he grew. If Barry was in here, there was definitely something Tony wasn’t telling him.

 

“Who the hell is this?” Ross exclaimed as he spotted Cisco. “This is a secret government facility Stark!”

 

“Cisco Ramon, resident of Earth-1,” Cisco held out his hand to Ross but dropped it when Ross didn’t shake it. “Well, I’ve met two of you Earth-66ers and so far, I’m not impressed.”

 

“What the hell is he talking about?” Ross demanded as he turned to Tony.

 

“You ever hear of the Multiverse theory?” Tony asked and got a blank look in response. “I’ll take that as a no.”

 

“Basically, there are an infinite number of earths. They exist in the same place but they vibrate at different frequencies. An earth where President Lincoln wasn’t assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. An earth where we’re all evil. An earth where the Nazis won World War Two. And so on and so on. You’re Earth 66 and I’m from Earth-1,” Cisco explained and Ross looked at him incredulously.

 

“Is he...all there?” Ross asked Tony and got an annoyed look from Cisco.

 

“After all we’ve seen in the last eight years, this is what makes you think someone’s insane?” Tony asked incredulously and Ross sighed.

 

“Let’s say for one second I believe this. What are you doing here?” Ross demanded.

 

“You have someone from my earth in your custody: Barry Allen. I’m here to take him home,” Cisco clarified.

 

“You know, you Red Death hallucinations have been trying to break me for the last year,” Barry said as he lay on his cot, eyes closed. “Don’t you get it by now? You will never break me.”

 

“I just find it ironic,” Thawne said as he paced in front of Barry’s bed. “Here you are, in a secret government prison where you are unlawfully imprisoned. Ironic.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Barry asked as he opened his eyes, looking over at Thawne.

 

“He’s talking about what you did to us,” Barry looked over to see Peak-A-Boo walked out of the shadows. “Do you have any idea what it was like locked in that little cell?”

 

“You left me no choice,” Barry justified. “I couldn’t send you to a normal prison; they weren’t equipped to deal with you back then. As soon as you were, I sent you all there.”

 

“What about me?”

 

Barry looked over to see Laurel Lance step into view. By the smirk on her face, he knew it wasn’t the Laurel he knew. No, this was Black Siren.

 

“What was your excuse for keeping me in that little cell?” Black Siren demanded.

 

“We couldn’t exactly send you to jail, since you’re a dead woman here. And you would have been put to death on your earth. I couldn’t let that happen, it would be as good as killing you myself,” Barry tried to defend himself.

 

“You could’ve told us about her,” Oliver said as he suddenly appeared next to Black Siren.

 

“Or you could’ve told me,” Lyla said as she appeared on Black Siren’s other side. “Argus is more than equipped to deal with Metahumans like Black Siren. Something you’re well aware of Barry.”

 

“You didn’t lock us up because you had no choice; you did it because you like it. You like the power it gave you over us,” Black Siren sneered.

 

“That’s not true,” Barry denied and Black Siren laughed mockingly.  

 

“We all know that’s a lie Barry,” She taunted him.

 

“Face it Barry. Deep down, there’s a part of you that’s just as twisted as Zoom. He was right about that,” Oliver told him and Barry put his hands over his ears in an attempt to block it out.

 

“Shut up,” Barry snapped. “You’re not real, you’re in my head.”

 

“We’re your thoughts Barry,” Lyla pointed out.

 

“Every last twisted one of them,” Black Siren said with a sadistic smirk.

 

“Now who’s the villain Flash!?” Thawne shouted, the face of Harrison wells fading into the face of Eobard Thawne. “Now who’s the villain!?”

 

“Now who’s the villain?!”

 

“Now who’s the villain?!”

 

“NOW WHO’S THE VILLIAN?!”

 

Barry covered his ears; closing his eyes as every Metahuman he had ever locked up in the pipeline suddenly appeared in his cell, screaming the same thing over and over again.

 

“Get out of my head!” Barry suddenly snapped as he got to his feet.

 

Suddenly, his cell was empty, leaving only him in the room. The only sound in the room his heavy breathing.    

 

“You want me to let him go?” Ross asked skeptically.

 

“Technically, Allen is an illegal alien,” Tony pointed out. “He’s here without any form of approval from any government. We deport them, so why not let Allen go back to his earth? The only reason he was here in the first place was because he was trapped here.”

 

“Unless you two want the public to know about this place,” Cisco interjected. “Because I doubt that they know about this prison. And I doubt any of this is legal, if your laws are anything like my earth’s. Where we believe in free speech, due process, and all that stuff.”

 

“Come on Ross,” Tony shot Cisco a look that said ‘you’re not helping’ and looked over at Ross. “Just let him out of his cell and you’ll never hear about Allen again.”

 

Ross was silent, obviously considering his options. Cisco was just about to Vibe blast this guy and find Barry himself when he signaled over one of his men.

 

“Take Mr. Ramon to Allen’s cell. Let him out,” Ross ordered before looking over at Tony. “I’m releasing Allen into your custody Stark. Make sure he gets off this earth. You have twenty four hours.”

 

As Tony and Ross walked off, Tony saying something about needing to talk to some people, Cisco was led to another section of the prison. There were mostly empty cells they passed with glass walls, cots, and a living room size space. Except one, which had an occupant. A young woman with dark hair and eyes in a strait jacket that had some kind of collar around her neck. She looked at him as he and the guards passed and his heart dropped. Suddenly, Cisco found himself comparing what was going on here to the pipeline prison. He didn’t feel so good about that.

 

They passed the cell and a few cells down, the guards stopped him. The pulled out a key and one of them unlocked a door. They opened it and gestured for Cisco to enter.

 

Cisco cautiously entered he cell and looked around uncomfortably. It didn’t take long for him to spot Barry. Barry was in the corner of the room, his hands over his ears. He was rocking back and forth, muttering incoherently to himself. Cisco hesitated, getting major horror movie vibes (no pun intended) as he saw this. Nevertheless, he moved forward.

 

“Barry?” He called out hesitantly.

 

“You’re not real,” Barry said without looking up, his yes swelled shut. “You’re in my head. You’re in my head. You’re not really here; you’re just a hallucination caused by the Red Death.”

 

“Barry, it’s me, Cisco. I’m here to take you home,” Cisco said as he put a hand on Barry’s shoulder.

 

This quickly proved to be a mistake. Barry grabbed Cisco by the arm and flipped him on his back. Barry then jumped on Cisco and wrapped his hand around Cisco’s throat.

 

“You’re not real!” Barry shouted with a near crazed look in his eye.

 

Panicked, Cisco shot a low powered Vibe blast at Barry. Barry was knocked off of him and sent flying. The guards rushed in, training their weapons on Barry as he landed on his back. Cisco stood up, messaging his throat as Barry sat up. He blinked, staring at Cisco as though he was seeing him for the first time.

 

“C-Cisco? Is it really you?” Barry asked hesitantly, not daring to hope.

 

“Yeah man, it’s me,” Cisco said, noting the crazed look in Barry’s eye was gone.

 

As Barry stood up, Cisco waved the guards off. Reluctantly, they lowered their weapons as Barry shakily walked over to Cisco. Barry placed a hand on Cisco’s shoulder once he reached him, as though he needed physical contact to assure himself that Cisco was really there. Then, without warning, he pulled Cisco into a tight hug. Barry’s shoulders shook with emotion as he clutched Cisco. Cisco awkwardly pat Barry on the back, still not quite ready to forgive but knowing that Barry needed him in this moment. Clearly, Barry had been thorough a lot the year he had been on this earth. And perhaps, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Caitlin whispered in his ear, he needed to reassure himself that Barry was alright as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised you guys an explanation for the time difference, but I ended up stopping the chapter just before we got it. Sorry, I just felt that it was a really good spot to stop it. Next chapter, we will get an explanation almost immediately, I promise. 
> 
> Yes, the Red Death is still affecting Barry. Since it stays in Barry’s body, he is still affected by it since his body is still fighting it off.
> 
> Yes, I ignored that stupid crisis on Earth-X recon of their only being fifty three earths, because it was stupid. 
> 
> I really don’t like the pipeline prison, in case you can’t tell. The conditions of that prison are inhumane. How any of Team Flash expected to rehabilitate the Metas they caught while keeping them there is beyond me, because any common sense says that leaving them in that tiny cell that doesn’t even have a bathroom is just going to make them crazy and vengeful. Pretty much all of Team Flash deserve to be put in prison for crimes against humanity. 
> 
> Now, I realize in season one they didn’t have much of a choice, but part of me wonders how hard they were looking for another option. Because, with the things we have seen Cisco do, I think he could have come up with another solution in, at the very least, a few months into season one. Part of me thinks they just liked the feeling of power it gave them to have their own prison. Because they got to lord over the villains and feel like heroes, so I think there is definitely a part of Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin that took some pleasure in that power.
> 
> And now we come to Black Siren. I realize Laurel is dead on Earth-1, so they couldn’t send her to prison for that reason, and I can see them not wanting to send her back to Earth-1 because it would likely result in her execution, but the pipeline is far from the only option. They could have turned her over to Oliver and Team Arrow or Argus, who is well equipped to deal with these things. Instead, they kept her in the Pipeline prison and kept it a secret. Because it is obvious that only Felicity and maybe Diggle knew about Black Siren, just based on episodes 5x10 and 5x22 of Arrow. And it’s never stated how long Felicity knew about Black Siren, so they could have had her in the pipeline for a while before Felicity found out.


	26. Siberia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is released from The Raft and reunites with Tony. It is not a pleasant reunion but they put aside their differences as they head to help Steve.

The Raft

Night

 

“Certainly took you long enough to find me,” Barry joked weakly as he stepped back, shooting a weak grin at Cisco.

 

“Not soon enough actually,” Cisco said, his voice coming out sharper than he intended and Barry’s grin dropped, realizing Cisco was still angry. “For us, you’ve only been gone a week.”

 

“…A week?” Barry repeated stunned and Cisco nodded. “How is that possible?”

 

“Do you remember your trip to Supergirl’s earth?” Cisco asked and Barry nodded.

 

“Yeah, I was there for over a day, but only a few seconds had passed on Earth-1. Wait, are you saying time passes differently on different earths?” Barry asked but Cisco shook his head.

 

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. When you open a breach, it’s like when you travel through time. You run so fast, you rip a hole in space and time,” Cisco said and Barry finally understood what Cisco as saying.

 

“When I travel through a breach that I create, I’m not just traveling through dimensions,” Barry realized and Cisco nodded.

 

“You’re also traveling through time,” Cisco finished.

 

“But why such a large gap between the two earths?” Barry wondered.

 

“The first time you did it, you were just learning how to adapt to your new speed. This time, you were more used to it and you were going a lot faster than the first time,” Cisco explained.

 

“God, this is such a mess. It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie,” Barry groaned as he ran a hand over his face.

 

“Tell me about it. Come on, we need to go,” Cisco said as he gestured for Barry to follow him.

 

“I can’t leave here Cisco,” Barry sad, not moving.

 

“You want to stay in the creepy, secret prison?” Cisco asked confused.

 

“There are people I care about here. I can’t leave them here,” Barry told him.

 

“A friend of yours pulled some strings to get you out of here. He said to tell you maybe Cap’s story wasn’t so crazy after all. Whatever that means,” Cisco said and Barry was silent.

 

“How’d you get here?” Barry demanded his mind racing.

 

“Your friend flew us here in a chopper. Said his name was Tony,” Cisco said and Barry stiffened.

 

“You came here with Tony?” Barry asked stiffly and Cisco nodded in confusion.

 

“He seemed like he was hiding something. Is he not your friend?” Cisco inquired.

 

“Something like that. We don’t wanna keep him waiting, do we?” Barry asked and Cisco noted the unnerving undertone in Barry’s voice.

 

But still, it was getting him out of this place.

 

The pair walked out of the cell, escorted by two guards. As they passed a cell, Barry looked into the glass and saw Wanda. She looked up and gasped as he stopped. Cisco and the guards looked on in confusion as Barry walked over to the glass. Barry’s eyes darkened in rage as he saw the straight jacket she was in. Barry placed his hand on the close, the rest of the world fading away as he looked into Wanda’s terror filled eyes.

 

“ _I will be back for you and our family_ ,” Barry told her in Sokovian before switching to English. “I promise.”

 

Wanda nodded, her eyes filled with tears as Barry stepped away from the wall and back towards Cisco and the guards. They soon made their way towards the hanger bay. Tony was standing in front of the chopper, talking with Ross when they spotted the group.

 

“Barry,” Tony said as Barry and Cisco were led over.

 

“Tony,” Barry greeted coolly.

 

“Wow, you can actually feel the awkward,” Cisco cracked but no one was laughing.

 

“Get that collar off him,” Tony gestured to Barry but Ross didn’t move. “Come on, he’s leaving anyway, what’s leaving that collar on gonna do?”

 

Ross hesitated, but only for a moment. He nodded to one of the guards and he stepped behind Barry. The guard pressed a button on the back of Barry’s collar and it came apart with a loud clang. The guard opened it up and removed it from Barry’s neck as he felt the Speed Force coursing through him. Tony and Ross were unnerved by the energy they now saw flashing n Barry’s eyes.

 

“Don’t come back,” Ross said regaining is courage.

 

Barry glared at Ross but knew that attacking the secretary of state wouldn’t help matters. So he was silent as Tony led him and Cisco onto the chopper. Cisco sat behind them as Barry sat next to Tony, just waiting. The chopper started and it lifted off out of the prison. Barry’s hands clenched into fists, his arms shaking, something only Tony noticed.

 

“Alright,” Tony said as he got to his feet. “Look, I know you’re mad at me but-Argh!!!”

 

Whatever Tony was going to say was cut off when Barry jumped to his feet and, to Cisco’s shock, slugged him. As Tony stumbled back, Barry sped over and grabbed his arm. He flipped tony on his back and knelt down in front to f him, putting his vibrating hand to Tony’s neck.

 

“Once I stop talking, you have thirty seconds to give me a reason why I shouldn’t take your head off,” Barry growled.

 

“You’ve been spending way too much time with Natasha,” Tony cracked and Barry glared.

 

“Twenty three seconds.”

 

“I’m just trying to help. I got you out of there didn’t I?” Tony challenged.

 

“You put me there; you put all of us there!” Barry snarled.

 

“You broke the law! You read it and you broke it!” Tony justified.

 

“Well forgive me for not wanting to sign something I disagree with!” Barry snarled.

 

“It would have kept us together,” Tony tried to justify.

 

“No, it’s torn us apart. More specifically, you tore us apart!” Barry snarled. “You didn’t listen to Steve, Sam and I when we were concern about The Accords, you locked Wanda in her own home and tried to manipulate Steve into signing. You didn’t listen to Steve when he tried to tell you about The Winter Soldiers and you put us all in a secret super max prison!”

 

“I didn’t know they’d put you there,” Tony tried to explain.

 

“But you knew they’d put us somewhere!”

 

“I’m just trying to do the right thing,” Tony tried to say.

 

“Bull crap! This isn’t about doing the right thing, this is about Ultron!” Barry snarled and Tony would have reeled back had he been able to. “You can’t face your own guilt for that, so you’re trying to make yourself feel better however you can. And you don’t care if you bring The Avengers down with you. So I’ll ask you again, why shouldn’t I take your head off?”

 

“Because Steve needs all the help he can get,” Tony said logically.

 

“So, finally got your head out of your ass?” Barry said after moment.

 

“I made a mistake. Let me try and make this right,” Tony pleaded and Barry scoffed.

 

“Nothing you do will ever make this right,” Barry snarled but nevertheless stopped vibrating his hand, removing it from Tony’s neck as he stood up. “But Steve does need help. Even if it comes from you.”

 

“You know how to fly this thing, right?” Tony asked as he got to his feet.

 

“Yes, I know how to fly a helicopter,” Barry said annoyed.

 

“I’m gonna fly ahead in my suit, you two catch up,” Tony said and Barry nodded.

 

“Um, excuse me,” Cisco, who had been in stunned silence while all this was going on, finally spoke up. “What exactly is going on?”

 

“I’ll explain on the way, but the short version is that if we don’t stop him, someone is gonna unleash people as skilled as Oliver who have been enhanced with an improved version of the Mirakuru,” Barry said and Cisco paled.

 

“Okay, that’s bed. Let’s get going then,” Cisco said and Barry and Tony nodded in agreement.

 

“But first, I’ve got something for you Allen,” Tony said as he pulled out a duffel bag and handed it to Barry.

 

Barry took it wearily before putting it on the floor and unzipping it. Barry began to smile, pulling out the red suit, staring at the lightning bolt emblem on the front.

 

Siberia

Later

 

Barry landed the chopper on the ground, looking around as he stood up.

 

“Okay, Steve and Barnes are already here. Which means Tony is probably here to,” Barry said as he noted the Quinjet and the tank bellow it. “This guy has been here for a few hours, enough time to activate these guys. You can stay here if you want.”

 

“I came all this way to bring you home. I’m not letting you get killed,” Cisco said.

 

Barry nodded gratefully before grabbing Cisco and speeding out of the chopper and into the facility. After speeding around, they found Tony, Steve, and Bucky.

 

“Barry,” Steve said upon seeing him but frowned as he saw the man with him.

 

“And friend,” Bucky noted.

 

“Guys this is Cisco Ramon, my...associate,” Barry said, not wanting to step on Cisco’s toes at the moment, “Cisco, this is Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. You already know Tony.”

 

“Hey. I’m here to help stop the bad guys,” Cisco said awkwardly and Steve nodded, holding out his hand to Cisco.

 

“We appreciate it,” Steve said and Cisco shook his hand.

 

“Wow, that is a strong grip,” Cisco said, flexing his fingers after Steve let go.

 

“I’m got heat signatures,” Tony spoke up.

 

“How many?” Steve inquired.

 

“One.”

 

The group exchanged a glance before moving out. Tony and Steve took the lead, Barry and Bucky following, and Cisco bringing up the rear. They entered the room, looking around. The Winter Soldiers were still asleep to their confusion.

 

“If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep.”

 

Cisco jumped as they heard the voice speak up. The others looked around; noting the small break in the glass and the head shots to The Soldiers.

 

“Did you really think I wanted more of you?” Zemo asked Bucky mockingly.

 

“What the hell?” Bucky muttered.

 

“I am grateful to them though. After all, they brought you here,” Zemo noted.

 

A light came on, revealing Zemo behind an iron chamber. Bucky and Tony turned their weapons on him as Steve threw his shield at him. However, the shield simply bounced off it, flying back into Steve’s waiting hands.

 

“Please Captain, the Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets,” Zemo said mockingly.

 

“Doesn’t matter how strong it is, I can phase through that,” Barry said confidently as they approached the chamber and Zemo flashed a nasty smile.

 

“I don’t doubt that you could Flash, given time,” Zemo said condescendingly.

 

“You killed innocent people in Vienna, just to bring us here?” Steve asked angrily.

 

“I’ve thought about nothing else for over a year,” Zemo revealed. “I’ll followed you, studied you. And now that’re standing in front of me; I just realized…there’s a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to finally find a flaw.”

 

“You’re Sokovian,” Barry noted, recognizing the same accent as Wanda.

 

“Is that what this is about?” Steve demanded.

 

“Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No,” Zemo said with a shake of his head. “I’m here because I made a promise.”

 

“You lost someone,” Steve noted.

 

“I lost everything,” Zemo said with the click of his tongue. “And now, so will you.”

 

Zemo pushed a button from behind the chamber and the screen of a small TV light up.

 

“What’s with the home video?” Cisco asked a little unnerved.

 

“An empire defeated by its enemies can always rise again. But an empire that crumbles from within? That’s dead. Forever,” Zemo explained as the screen changed to show a road at night.

 

“Guys, maybe we shouldn’t be watching this,” Barry suggested.

 

“Yeah, it’s what he wants,” Cisco agreed.

 

“I know that road,” Tony said softly, ignoring Barry and Cisco as he looked over at Zemo. “What is this?!”

 

Zemo simply smirked at him. Tony turned back to the screen as a car crashed into a tree. The hood was completely trashed as someone rode up behind them on a motorcycle. Bucky, no, The Winter Soldier got off as a man crawled from the driver’s seat and landed on the ground.

 

“Please, help my wife,” the man said, his voice barely audible through the video as The Solider approached.

 

The soldier grabbed him by the back of his head and lifted him into a half standing, half sitting position. The man gasped upon seeing The Solider.

 

“Sergeant Barnes?”

 

“Howard?” A woman, unseen before the angle of the footage, called form within the car. “Howard?”

 

It was at that moment that Barry realized what was going on, the significance of what this was. Barry looked over at Tony, his greatest sympathies going out to the man. Tony was only looking at Bucky, who simply stared back with a pained, guilty expression on his face.

 

Tony turned back to the screen as The Soldier hit his father hard twice with his metal arm and let him fall. They couldn’t see Howard’s face, but it was safe to assume that Howard was dead. Dragging him by his hair, The Soldier put Howard back in the driver’s seat, seemed to move him, before walking around to the other side of the car. It was hard to see what happened next exactly, but The Soldier reached inside and they could imagine what happened next well enough without seeing it. The Solider then walked passed the car, pulled out a pistol, looked right into the view of the camera, and opened fire.

 

Barry looked over at Tony, who was trembling with emotion. Pain and anger were clear on his face. Tony made a move towards Bucky but Steve grabbed his arm as Barry sped in front of Tony.

 

“Tony, don’t,” Steve pleaded.

 

“This is what he wants Tony. He’s playing on your emotions; he wants you to go after Barnes. Don’t fall for his trap Tony,” Barry tried to reason with his ally.

 

“Did you know?” Tony asked as he looked at Steve.

 

“I didn’t know it was him,” Steve tried to explain.

 

“Don’t bullshit me Rogers! Did you know?” Tony growled, clearly beyond any form of talking reasonably. Not that Barry could entirely blame him.

 

“Yes,” The word seemed to echo through the chamber as it settled over them.

 

Tony took a step back, the look of stunned shock and betrayal on his face forever ingrained in Steve’s memory. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Tony struck.

 

He slugged Steve, his helmet coming back on as Steve went flying. He whirled towards Barry, something shooting out electric clamps which shot to Barry’s feet. Barry fell on his side as Tony blasted Bucky’s gun out of his hands and grabbing Bucky’s metal arm. He then grabbed Bucky by the neck and flew off, slamming him out to the ground and he took the hand on Bucky’s neck off. He used his foot to pin Bucky’s hand to the ground and was about to use his free hand to bash Bucky’s skull in when Steve’s shield hit him in the head. Tony looked over his shoulder as Steve rushed him, punching him and getting him off Bucky. Angry, Tony flew at Steve and punched the shield with enough force to send Steve lying back.

 

Steve landed on his back and Tony used the clamps he’d used on Barry on Steve as well. Before he could do anything else, Bucky hit him in the back but Tony then grabbed him and flew him into a piece of machinery. Barry, finally managing to get the clamps of him, sped over and did the same for Steve as Tony shot off a missile. However, Bucky moved his hand so, rather than hitting him, it flew into some of the machinery. It caused an explosion and, as the machinery began coming down around them, Barry looked over at Cisco, who was trying to avoid being him. Barry sped over, got him away from the machinery remains.

 

“You okay?” Barry asked as he let him go.

 

“Way confused, but alright. What is going on Barry?” Cisco asked, completely confused by what was happening.

 

“I’ll explain it to you after I stop Tony from becoming a murderer,” Barry promised.

 

Barry looked over to see Bucky trying to flee and Tony flying after him. Barry sped over, knocking Tony to the ground as Bucky fled. They fell to the ground, rolling on in briefly before they both stood up.

 

“Tony, please stop,” Barry pleaded.

 

“Move!” Tony barked.

 

“I know what you’re going through!” Barry snapped and Tony paused. “He killed your parents. I know how full of anger and pain you are right now, but it doesn’t have to be this way Tony. You’re not a cold blooded killer. As pissed as I am with you, I know you’re a good man. Don’t do this.”

 

“I said move!” Tony snapped, pressing something on his suit.

 

Barry suddenly screamed as he felt to the ground, electricity coursing through his body. Tony tried to fly away but his left foot was hit by Steve’s shield. It caused his to falter slightly but he kept going as Cisco and Steve rushed over to the screaming Barry.

 

“Go, I got this!” Cisco shouted to Steve.

 

Steve nodded and ran after Tony. Cisco knelt down, Barry’s screams of pain causing him to forget his anger at him in the moment.

 

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Cisco told him as he pulled out a phone.

 

Tony was about to blast Bucky when Steve jumped in the way. He used his shield to deflect Tony’s blast back at him and Tony was sent falling down.

 

“He’s not gonna stop. Go,” Steve ordered and Bucky nodded as he fled.

 

As Tony flew back up, Steve placed his shield on his back and jumped. He threw a wire which wrapped around Tony’s neck. They fell down, landing on different ramps. They both stood up, Tony aiming at Bucky but pausing to blast at Steve’s shield mid-throw. It fell to bellow and Tony turned his attention back to Bucky. His targeting system had been damaged in the fight, so he pulled back his mask and aimed with his own eyes. He fired and his blast hit the lift, which had been supporting the latch Bucky had been using to escape. It slammed down as Tony put his mask back on and flew up to Bucky. Bucky briefly tried to fight back but Tony managed to put him in a choke hold.

 

“Do you even remember them?” Tony hissed.

 

“I remember all of them,” Bucky said against Tony’s grip.

 

Enraged, Tony tired to fly back down but Steve jumped off his ramp and tackled Tony. The three fell to the ground. Steve landed on the very bottom, Tony on the stone groove above him, and Bucky on the ramp above them. Steve and Tony both climbed to their feet.

 

“This isn’t gonna change what happened,” Steve tried one more time to reason with tony.

 

“I don’t care. He killed my mom,” Tony snarled before they resumed the fight.

 

“Okay. Hopefully, this is gonna stop the shocks. Hopefully,” Cisco said nervously as he reached a hand out.

 

“Just do it,” Barry said, his voice rattled from trying not to scream.

 

Cisco nodded and put his gloved hand down. He was never more thankful that he brought his Vibe gear than in this moment. Using his armored hand, Cisco was able to pull the lightning bolt emblem off Barry’s suit. Immediately, the shocks stopped and Barry breathed heavily in relief.

 

“Oh thank god,” Cisco said in relief as he threw away the emblem and began helping up Barry. “Hey, easy now. Easy.”

 

Bucky was trying to reach in and rip out the Arc reactor when Tony blasted his metal arm off. Bucky stumbled back, dazed and in pain as he fell to his knees. Tony blasted him, sending him to the ground as an angry Steve rushed him. Tony tried to blast Steve but Tony used his shield to deflect. However, a lightning both landed at their feet, sending a shock way. They stopped, stumbling away from each other in confusion

 

Then Barry sped over. Vibrating his hand, he reached into Tony’s armor’s chest and ripped out the Arc Reactor. Barry dropped the reactor as Tony’s suit lost power. Snarling in anger, Barry sent a strong kick to Tony’s chest before following up with two punches to Tony’s face. On Barry’s last punch, Tony’s mask flew off, landing on the floor before Barry slugged him, hard. Tony fell to the ground, his face bloodied as Barry breathed heavily.

 

“It’s over,” Barry said, his voice tired but firm as he looked at Tony then at Steve.

 

Steve nodded as Cisco raced in and Barry fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

 

“Hey, you okay?” Cisco asked in concern as he raced to Barry’s side.

 

“Fine,” Barry breathed. “I just really need to eat something. I haven’t had anything since before I got arrested.”

 

“I never thought I would hear those words come out of your mouth,” Cisco said dryly as he helped Barry stand, offering his shoulder as support.

 

“That shield doesn’t belong to you.”

 

Barry and Cisco looked over at Tony, who was glaring angrily as Steve, who was helping Bucky to his feet.

 

“You don’t deserve it. My father made that shield,” Tony said angrily.

 

It was obvious that Tony was just saying whatever came to mind in order to hurt Steve at this point. However, it came as a shock to all when Steve slid the shield out from its place on his back and dropped it. It fell to the ground with a loud bang that seemed to echo through the area.  Steve walked off, supporting Bucky and Cisco and Barry followed him after a moment, leaving Tony to wallow in his anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The easy solution to the time difference would have been that time passes differently on different earths, as was believed after the Supergirl/Flash crossover. However, this can be debunked by the following crossovers. In the first Supergirl/Flash crossover, Barry is on Earth-38 for at least twenty four hours while only a few seconds passed on Earth-1. In the following Supergirl crossovers, Kara and those who come with her are on Earth-1 for well over a few seconds but no significant amounts of time seems to pass between the crossovers and the next Supergirl episode like you’d expect. What’s the difference between these crossovers and fie first Supergirl/Flash crossover? Barry created the breach. Since he travels through time already, is it really that much of a stretch to think when he creates a breach, he’s also traveling through time?
> 
> The Russo brothers reveal some significant details about Steve’s knowledge of the Stark’s death that are not available in the film. Details I will now share with you.
> 
> According to the Russo brothers, Steve’s initial answer to Tony that he was unaware of Bucky’s role in the whole thing was the truth. The extent of Steve’s knowledge prior to seeing that video was that Hydra was responsible. It also wasn’t a conscious decision to keep it from Tony, he just didn’t think about it. Steve chose to hide this information and the implications of it from himself as well as Tony. He never revisited it, he never thought about it again until he saw that video. Steve has a personal failing, which isn’t good, but it is far from this unforgivable sin the movie makes it out to be. 
> 
> The whole electro shock thing isn’t meant to make Tony look bad. I just think that Tony would have a contingency in place in the event he would have had to go up against Barry, considering how little he knew of Barry up to the point when he first made Barry’s suit.


	27. Planning what's next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone discusses what's next as they plan to go for their friends in The Raft.

Wakanda

Morning

 

Barry was in the dining hall, sitting at the grandest table he had even seen as he ate some sort of meat. Cisco sat next to him, looking around in awe at all the technology in the room. Not that Barry could blame him. As he ate, he couldn’t help but remember the very strange encounter that had led to this even stranger situation.

 

_Siberia_

_Yesterday_

_Steve and Cisco supported their respective friends as they helped Barry and Bucky walk out of the door. However, Steve, Bucky, and Barry tensed as they saw who was waiting for them._

_“Captain,” T’Challa greeted calmly, his helmet off._

_“I don’t wanna fight you Your Highness,” Steve said, mentally calculating their odds._

_“Neither do I captain, not anymore,” T’Challa looked over at Bucky. “You were telling the truth. I am sorry Sergeant Barnes.”_

_“What do you want?” Bucky demanded._

_“Everyone is looking for you. I know a place where they will never find you,” T’Challa told them._

Now

 

Barry put his fork down on the now empty plate as he stared into space, lost in thought.

 

“You okay?” Cisco asked and Barry snapped out of it.

 

“Yeah, just a lot on my mind,” Barry admitted.

 

“Your friends in The Raft?” Cisco guessed and Barry nodded.

 

“Among other things,” Barry admitted and Cisco frowned.

 

“You’re not coming back with me until you know they’re out, are you?” Cisco asked and Barry sighed.

 

“I don’t know what my next move is Cisco,” Barry admitted. “A year ago when I realized I couldn’t get back home, I was devastated. I spent three days just wallowing in misery before one of my friends told me to get off my ass. A few months into this, I wouldn’t have hesitated to go back, but things are different now Cisco. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I moved on. I let go of the possibility of finding a way back to Earth-1. I built a life here Cisco. Even though that life was blown to hell, just going back to Earth-1 isn’t as easy a solution as you think.”

 

Cisco looked away, a look of annoyance and anger on his face. Barry sighed, knowing Cisco was still anger with him and rightfully so.

 

“Cisco,” Barry said and the annoyed Meta looked over at him. “I had over a year to think about what I would say if I ever saw you again. And what I wanted to say is…the words I’m sorry can never be enough. Dante is dead because of me. That is what I have to live with. But I didn’t know he had died until I followed you to your support group. I should have come clean when I told you about Flashpoint, that’s on me to. If I could bring him back without endangering the timeline the way I have, I would. But I’m not a god Cisco I’m just a man. I make mistakes.”

 

“Are we supposed to be good now? Am I just supposed to forget that Dante is dead because of a decision you made?” Cisco asked not angrily, but trying to understand what Barry was looking for.

 

“No,” Barry told him. “I’m not looking for forgiveness. To be honest, I’m not completely sure I deserve your forgiveness. I’m just trying to make you understand. I don’t expect you to forgive me. Or even for you to wait around here while I go help my friends. But, if you choose to go back home, could you tell Joe and Caitlin that I love them and Iris that she needs to move on?”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Cisco said, his voice soft as he realized Barry was saying goodbye, allowing Cisco to choose what happened now.

 

“In case you do decide to go home…I just want you to know, you were the best friend I ever had,” Barry told him as he stood up.

 

Barry walked out, leaving Cisco alone in the mean hall.

 

Barry found Steve staring out a window overlooking Wakanda. Steve was so deep in thought he didn’t appear to register that Barry was there, but Barry knew better.

 

“Thinking about Tony?” Barry asked and Steve nodded silently. “Did you really know about Tony’s parents and Barnes?”

 

“No,” Steve sighed as he turned away from Barry in shame. “I knew that Hydra killed them. When Hydra rose up, Natasha and I were confronted with an AI based on a Swish scientist I fought in World War Two who implied as much. I never looked any deeper into it. I told myself I was sparing Tony but I can see now I was really sparing myself,” Steve sighed again. “Maybe if I’d told Tony the truth-”

 

“It may not have changed anything,” Barry interrupted. “You made a mistake; maybe you should have told Tony the truth. But you know what? You didn’t make Tony try and murder Barnes. You and I both tried to stop him from killing him, we tried reasoning with him but Tony was still going for Barnes, like killing him was the most important thing in the world.  That is on Tony, not on you Steve.”

 

“Well said Allen,” a familiar voice spoke up.

 

Startled, Barry and Steve turned around to see Natasha smirking at them. Behind them stood T’Challa and a dark haired woman holding a baby around a year old. Judging by the blue outfit, it was a boy. Two kids were by the woman’s legs, a boy and a girl.

 

“Nat,” Steve said surprised.

 

“Ms. Romanoff managed to get in contact with me. She and her…guests wished to be put in contact with you,” T’Challa said as he looked back and forth between Natasha and Steve.

 

“Thank you your highness,” Steve said and T’Challa nodded as he walked off.

 

“You here to arrest us?” Barry asked wearily.

 

“I’d have to arrest myself as well. We’re all in the same boat here,” Natasha said and she looked over at Steve. “You were right. The Accords weren’t the answer.”

 

“Believe me, I wish they were,” Steve said as he looked over at the dark haired woman. “Good to see you again, although I wish it were under better circumstances. I’m sorry I dragged Clint into this.”

 

“One thing I’ve learned Captain is that you can never make Clint do something he doesn’t want to do,” The woman said with a sad smile and Steve nodded.

 

“Ms. Barton, this is Barry Allen,” Steve gestured to Barry, who started at her name. “Barry, this is Laura, Clint’s wife.”

 

“Clint speaks very highly of you Barry,” Laura said with a warm smile.

 

“I think highly of him. It’s nice to meet you,” Barry said, overcoming his shock as he held his hand out to Laura, who smiled as she shook it.

 

“Clint always talks about you and Wanda, I feel like I already know the two of you,” Laura said as they dropped hands. “This little guy is Nate. And this is Copper and Lila.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Barry smiled at the kids as they waved as Barry turned to Natasha and Steve. “Why did no one tell me Clint was married? Or that he had kids?”

 

“It was kept a secret,” Natasha supplied.

 

“Only the original Avengers, Fury and Wanda knew. And now you do as well. But why bring them here; they were safe where they were?” Steve asked as he looked over at Natasha.

 

“No they weren’t. Tony outed them,” Natasha said and they could only stare at her in shock.

 

“What?” Steve asked in disbelief.

 

“On a visit to The Raft, he and Clint got into it. Tony mentioned that Clint had a wife and kids on an open channel,” Natasha said, a hint of anger in her voice. “Fury still has some contacts in the government. He got word to me that Laura and the kids were compromised, I got them out of there as fast as I could.”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t want to be Tony when Clint gets out. Man, this keeps getting worse and worse,” Barry muttered, a running a hand over his face.

 

“Kid’s right. What do we do Steve?” Natasha asked looking lost as she looked at Steve for guidance.

 

“The first thing we need to do is get our friends out of The Raft. But after that…I just don’t know,” Steve sighed, feeling lost.

 

“You can come to Earth-1 with me.”

 

Everyone looked back to see Cisco standing at the edge of the hall.

 

“Sorry, couldn’t help but overhear,” Cisco said as he approached them. “Everyone’s looking for you, if you’re looking for a place to lie low, you could come to my earth.”

 

“I don’t know,” Steve said skeptically.

 

“It would give us some time to plan out our next move,” Natasha pointed out.

 

“And we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone finding us while we do,” Barry added and Steve thought on it for several moments.

 

“First, we get our friends out of The Raft. Then, we’ll talk it over with everyone, see what everyone decides,” Steve ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, I do have sympathy for Tony for having to watch Bucky kill his father. But that does not justify him trying to kill Bucky. The fact that Tony has a first moment reaction based on pure emotion is understandable. But Tony was paused multiple times in the fight where he was able to stop and think about what exactly he was doing. And you can see the change in Tony during the fight, how he just goes from acting on emotion to stopping and thinking about what he is going to do next. He could have stopped the fight at any point but, according to his own words, he wanted to kill Bucky even though he knew that Bucky wasn’t responsible. 
> 
> Tony mentioning Clint’s family on an open channel is either Tony’s greatest blunder or one of his most unforgivable sins. He knows the channel is open, given how he cuts off their audio later in the scene when talking to Sam. The whole reason no one knew about Laura and the kids was so that no one could use them against him. But now that Ross knows, it was an incredibly likely scenario that Ross would have used the kids and Laura to force Clint to work for him and sign The Accords, especially given Ross’ history. The only reason nothing happened to them is because of Tony’s plot armor.


	28. Prison Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remaining Avengers on the run plan their breakout as Ross exploits Clint's one weakness to find his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This probably isn’t my best chapter, but I hope you enjoy this.

Wakanda, Royal Palace  
Morning 

“Here’s where they kept Wanda and me,” Barry said, pointing over to the blueprints of The Raft that showed the section where he had been kept. 

He, Cisco, Steve, Bucky, Natasha, and T’Challa stood in a private room where they were making their plan to raid The Raft and free their friends. A set of blue prints, acquired by T’Challa with help from Natasha, laid open on a table for all of them to see.

“Why would you two be separated from the rest of the prisoners?” Cisco asked confused.

“Probably because we have powers and Clint, Sam, and Scott don’t,” Barry noted.

“And if Tony told Ross half of what Wanda can do, she probably has extra security on her,” Natasha pointed out.

“I’ll get her,” Barry volunteered.

“Not alone you’re not,” Steve argued.

“I’ll go with him,” Bucky volunteered and Barry and Steve looked at him in surprise. “I may have one arm, but I’m not useless.”

“Thanks,” Barry nodded at him and Bucky returned it with his own nod.

“We should probably get Clint, Scott, and Sam’s gear to. We don’t want a man like Ross having access to it,” Steve noted.

“They would likely be here,” T‘Challa pointed to a room in between Wanda’s section of the prison and the where the others were being kept. “According to Ms. Romanoff’s contacts, it is a storage area. If Secretary Ross has your friends’ gear on The Raft, it will be there.”

“Nat, get them,” Steve ordered.

“Someone needs to watch your back while you get our friends,” Natasha argued.

“It would be my honor to accompany you Captain,” T’Challa spoke up but Steve shook his head.

“Ross finds out you were involved, could cause an international incident and a war with the US. You’ve done enough for us,” Steve assured him.

“You still need someone to go with, in case you run into trouble,” Barry pointed out.

“I’ll go,” Cisco said and everyone looked at him surprised. “I’ve seen the place; no one deserves to get locked up there without a trial. If you need someone to watch your back, I’ll do it.”

“Trust me Steve, I’ve got over two years of experience when I say you’ll find no one better to watch your back,” Barry said and Steve nodded.

“Well Mr. Ramon, welcome to The Avengers,” Steve said as he held out a hand.

“Mr. Ramon is my father, call me Cisco,” Cisco said but still shook Steve’s hand.

The Raft   
Same time

“Sir, Barton isn’t talking,” One of the agents told Ross is the security room.

“Of course he didn’t. Barton has been trained to withstand torture, to never break, no matter what the pressure,” Ross said calmly, unfazed. 

“So what do we do sir?” Another agent inquired.

“Barton may seem emotionless, but he isn’t. He is not as cold hearted as he seems, he has a weakness: he has a father’s love for his child. And like any father, he will do whatever it takes to protect his child,” Ross said, his eyes darting over to the security feed that showed Wanda in her cell.

Wakanda  
Late morning

“And this is what exactly?” Steve asked as The Avengers, T’Challa, and Laura stared at the device Cisco had given him.

“It's an inter-dimensional extrapolator. It creates small breaches and acts as an inter-dimensional communicator, so Mr. Black Cat here-” Cisco gestured to T’Challa.

“Black Panther,” T’Challa said sounding insulted but Cisco ignored him.

“Can reach you if anything happens on this earth while we’re on Earth-1,” Cisco finished.

“When you said he was a genius who could fix almost any problem, given time, I thought you were exaggerating,” Natasha told Barry, who simply smiled.

“This is ingenious Mr. Ramon. You would do well here among out scientists,” T’Challa said impressed as he took the device from Cisco, examining it. 

“Steve, you okay?” Natasha as she noticed the faraway look in Steve’s eyes.

“Your Highness, once we leave here, I’d like to see if you could make a delivery for me,” Steve said as he thought of Tony. 

The Raft  
Mid-Afternoon

Clint was lying on his cell, staring into space as he worried. Ross knew about his family, his cronies had been interrogating him about them for half the morning, at least Clint assumed it was morning. But Clint knew men like Ross, he wasn’t going to give up until Clint told him where. Which made Clint worry about what Ross would do next.

“Mr. Barton.”

Clint looked up from his cot. Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear, he though dryly as Ross stood outside his cell.

“How are you enjoying yourself?” Ross asked like Clint was an honored guest at some hotel.

“Well, my room could use a bit more sun. And these walls? Man, you guys need to think about redecorating,” Clint said and Ross smiled unpleasantly. 

“We both know you have a family out there. And you will tell me where they are,” Ross said and Clint scoffed.

“Yeah, I think you have a better chance of Ultron coming back as a force for good,” Clint said and Ross chuckled.

“You’re a father. I am a father myself, so I understand your devotion. You will do anything to protect your children. Even give up your own life. But you have more than one child. Even one who is…not your own,” Ross said as he pulled out a phone.

Ross turned around the phone so Clint could see. Clint’s hands clenched, gripping the sides of the mattress as he saw Wanda. She had a collar of some sort around her neck, mechanical in nature. It was no doubt nullifying her powers. She was in a strait jacket, restraining her hands. But it was the look in her eyes that made his blood run cold. Wanda appeared dazed, as though she was unaware of what was happening around her.

“Tony mentioned that you were fond of Ms. Maximoff. I can see that he was right,” Ross mentioned and Clint got to his feet, rage in his eyes.

“What did you do to her?” Clint growled.

“Her powers were fighting back, little by little. We didn’t want her trying to break out of her collar and cell. It is a simple drug meant to lure her into a comatose like state. This, believe it or not, was an act of mercy on my part Mr. Barton. But I can just as easily make things very…unpleasant for Ms. Maximoff,” Ross mentioned and Clint’s hands clenched into fists and his knuckles turned white. 

“You lay a hand on her, when I get out of here, I’ll kill you and everyone in this second rate Alcatraz,” Clint snarled and Ross smiled thinly.

“The thing is Mr. Barton, everyone has a weakness. You have a father’s love for your child. You can protect your child, you just need to pick which child you are going to protect,” Ross told him. 

Ross turned and walked out of the room. He walked back into the control room but stopped. He saw his guards and personal, who had been up and working when he had left, now on the floor or slumped over in their seats, out cold.

“Hey, Governor Tarkin,” A voice called out from the side.

Ross turned to see Cisco standing in the corner of the room. Before Ross could react, Cisco shot out a blue beam from his hand and it hit Ross full on. Ross slammed against the wall head first and fell to the floor, out cold.

“And I’ve been wanting to do that since I first met the guy,” Cisco said gleefully as Steve walked out of the shadows.

“Come on, we need to move,” Steve ordered.

Barry and Bucky peered around the corner, seeing three guards standing in front of Wanda’s cell.

“Three guards, I can take ‘em,” Bucky said confidently.

“Don’t doubt that you could,” Barry noted. “But a much faster way would be-”

There was a gust of wind as Barry sped over. Within seconds, Barry stood over the unconscious guards and Bucky laughed as he came out from behind his hiding place.

“I’m starting to see why Steve likes you,” Bucky said as Barry plucked a key card from one of the guards.

Barry simply responded with a smile before sliding the key card win the slot. With a beep, there was the sound of the door being unlocked. Barry all but wrenched the door open and walked inside the cell. Barry stared at his girlfriend, who seemed like she completely catatonic. Barry walked over to her as Bucky entered room, watching the scene and getting flashbacks to his own time in Hydra.

“Wanda? Wanda, it’s me,” Barry said as he knelt down in front of her. 

There was still no reaction from her, to his alarm. He took her face in his hands, making her look at him. He stared into her eyes which were unfocused as they stared at everything and nothing at the same time.

“What did they do to you?” Barry asked horrified.

“She’s on some sort of drug,” Bucky noted disgusted. “Hydra did things like this from time to time. We need to get her back to Wakanda, they can get her the help she needs, and figure out what drug she’s on.”

Barry nodded but before they could make a move, they heard the sound of footsteps, lots of them. Barry and Bucky exchanged a glance as they stood up. They walked out to see dozens of guards aiming their guns at them.

“Looks like Romanoff was right about that extra security,” Bucky noted.

“So, any of you guys the big tough guy who drugged my girlfriend?” Barry demanded.

“Get on your knees and put your hands on your head or we will open fire,” One of the guards barked.

“I count twenty five against two. The odds hardly seem fair,” Bucky noted.

“I agree, they should just give up now,” Barry said with a smirk.

Then Barry sped over, punching out a guard and grabbing the rifle from another, using the butt of the weapon to strike the guard hard enough to knock him out. Bucky rushed forward, grabbing the gun off a guard and flipping him over, bringing him down on his knee hard enough to knock him out and knocking out a few of his teeth in the process. 

“Thanks for coming back for us,” Scott said after he, Sam, and Clint were let out of their cells.

“You never have to say thanks,” Steve assured him.

“Cap, my family-” Clint began.

“I know, they’re safe,” Steve quickly assured him as he put a hand on Clint’s shoulder. “Natasha broke off from Tony and the others after the fight at the airport. Fury got word to her that their safety had been compromised. She got them out and we all met up. They’re safe Clint, I promise.”

Clint nodded, the relief he felt nearly overwhelming. But there was still one last thing he worried about.

“Wanda, Ross has her on some kind of drug,” Clint said and Steve frowned.

“Barry and Bucky are getting her now. We can get her medical attention once we get out of here,” Steve said.

“Where? In case you forgot Steve, we’re wanted men,” Sam argued.

“We’ve been offered asylum in Wakanda,” Steve said and Clint and Sam started. “A lot’s happened. I’ll explain when we get out of here.”

“Which I think should be before Ross and his evil Men in Black come to,” Cisco spoke up and Clint, Sam, and Scott noticed him for the first time.

“Um, who is this?” Clint asked, eying Cisco suspiciously.

“Cisco Ramon, resident of Earth-1,” Cisco introduced himself and Clint and Sam’s eyes widened.

“Barry’s friend?” Sam asked and Cisco’s lips thinned.

“Something like that. Come on, we need to get to the check point,” Cisco said, holding out his hands and opening a reach.

“Okay, what is that?!” Scott exclaimed startled.

“It’s a breach. Just walk through it and you’ll end up at the check point,” Cisco explained.

“You sure about this guy Steve?” Sam asked skeptically.

“Barry vouched for him, that’s good enough for me,” Steve said, walking through the breach as if to prove his point.

Clint, Sam, and Scott exchanged uncertain glances before Clint shrugged and followed Steve through the breach. After a moment, Sam followed after and Scott looked at the breach uncertainly.

“I better not end up in some weird dimension because I am not doing that again,” Scott said but followed the others through the breach.

Cisco rolled his eyes but jumped through the breach, which closed behind him. 

Bucky stood over the pile of unconscious guards as Barry picked up the unmoving Wanda bridal style.

“Told you I’d come back,” Barry whispered into her ear as he walked out.

“Nat,” Clint said as she reached them at the check point, a bag slung over her shoulder.

“Hey Clint, Sam,” Natasha greeted before gesturing to the bag. “Your gear is in here. Still can’t believe I got stuck with pick up duty.”

“Cisco doesn’t know what their gear looks like, so you had to,” Barry said as he and Bucky walked in.

“Is she…” Clint trailed off as he stared at the unresponsive Wanda.

“She’s out of it, doesn’t seem to know what’s happening,” Barry said, a quiet fury in his voice that Clint felt as well.

“Let’s get here out of here. Ramon, take us home,” Natasha ordered and Cisco nodded.

“Next stop, Wakanda,” Cisco said as he opened another breach.

“I expect a story about how the guy trying to kill Barnes is now offering us help,” Clint said.

“It’s one hell of a story,” Barry said as he walked towards the breach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Tony got Steve’s package around the same time that Steve pulled his little prison break, but for the sake of the story, Steve didn’t send the package until after.


	29. The calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone waits on news of Wanda as Bucky makes a decision.

Wakanda  
Late Afternoon

The remaining Avengers, Bucky, Cisco, T’Challa, and Laura and the kids waited in the waiting room as Wanda was in the med-bay. Doctors were working on pumping whatever drug was in her system out while T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, was working on getting that collar off her neck.

Barry sat alone, away slightly from the others, his hands clasped together on his knees as he stared straight ahead at the doors to the med-bay. Cisco walked up to him, looking at Barry for a moment before sitting down next to him. Barry barely registered his presence, too consumed with worry.

“She’s more than a friend to you, isn’t she?” Cisco said and Barry finally looked over at him. “Wanda.”

“What she is …is beyond definition,” Barry said, paraphrasing what he had once said to Iris in Flashpoint.

“But you love her,” Cisco noted and Barry let out a humorless laugh.

“I thought I knew love Cisco. I thought I knew it with Iris. But the last year, being here, away from everything and everyone, being with Wanda…it’s taught me a lot. What I had with Iris, that’s not love. Its obsession, it’s fixation, it’s a lot of things, but not love. I never loved Iris, not really. I don’t think I was capable of loving her or any woman until I was ready to acknowledge that I didn’t love Iris. I didn’t really love another woman until Wanda. So yes Cisco, I love her,” Barry said passionately.

Cisco simply stared at him, trying to process this as the doors to the med-bay opened. The Avengers and T’Challa jumped to their feet as Shuri walked out. 

“How is she?!” Barry and Clint demanded as they rushed forward.

“Excuse them,” Steve said politely, shooting a look that said ‘you’re being rude’ at the two men before turning to Shuri. “We’re a little worried. How is Wanda?”

“She will be fine Captain,” Shuri said, not appearing fazed by Barry and Clint’s outburst. “We managed to get the collar inhibiting her powers off safely. Mr. Allen was wise not to cut through it, it has a failsafe that could send thousands of electric volts through her body, enough to paralyze and even kill her.”

Barry paled, realizing if he had indeed decided to cut through her collar, he would have killed his girlfriend. Clint clenched his hands at his sides so tightly that they began to draw blood as Steve, Natasha, and Sam were filled with righteous and murderous rage that promised Ross a very painful death.

“And the drug in her system?” Steve asked managing to keep his voice even despite his inner rage.

“It is what you call anesthesia. A specific amount, just short of making her lose consciousness but enough to make her appear comatose,” Shuri explained and relief shot through The Avengers. 

“Can we see her?” Sam asked hopefully.

“One at a time. She may be a little, how you say, groggy at first. A goodnight sleep should be all she needs,” Shuri said and they nodded.

“Thank you. Both of you,” Steve said as he looked from Shuri to T’Challa.

“You should not thank me Captain. I let my emotions get the best of me, nearly killed the wrong man,” T’Challa looked over at Bucky before back to The Avengers. “I owe all of you a debt for the wrong I have done you. You will always be welcome in Wakanda.”

T’Challa then walked off, his sister trailing behind him.

“You should go first kid,” Clint looked over at Barry, knowing Wanda would want to him first, no matter how much he himself wanted to see Wanda. “She’ll want to see you.”

Barry nodded his thanks, understanding Clint’s dilemma and sped into the room. He saw Wanda lying on a bed, she still appeared a little out of it but much more aware of her surroundings than when he and Bucky had gotten her out of her cell. As he stopped next to her bed, her hair blew a little due to the breeze he caused when he stopped. 

“Barry,” Wanda said as she looked up at him, blinking a little as if to clear the fog from her mind.

“Hey,” Barry said as he sat down in the chair next to her bedside.

“You came back,” Wanda said slowly but her emotion was clear in her eyes.

“I told you I would,” Barry said as he took her face in his hands.

Wanda smiled slightly as he lowered his head to her and they shared a kiss.

Clint sat in the waiting room, still agitated but significantly calmer now that he knew Wanda would be alright. He knew Barry would be in there for a while but he preferred not to think about what they were doing in there. Somethings were best left to the imagination. Laura sat next to him, smiling slightly as she saw the kids playing with Scott.

“You were really worried about her,” Laura said and Clint sighed.

“I know it doesn’t make sense but…when I saw that video of her, it was like seeing one of the kids get hurt,” Clint attempted to explain but Laura simply smiled as she took her husband’s hand.

“Love doesn’t make sense, especially a parent’s love,” She said and Clint looked over at her. “You brought Natasha into the family; I guess I can accept another woman in your life.”

“God I love you,” Clint laughed as he kissed her, earning cries of disgust from their children who saw.

Bucky watched all this with a wistful look, memories of times long passed flashing through his fractured mind.

“You okay?” Natasha asked as she walked up to him and Bucky nodded slightly.

“Just remembering things, another lifetime,” Bucky said before looking over at Natasha. “We met before, didn’t we? Not in DC, but…years ago.”

“I wasn’t sure you remembered,” Natasha started and Bucky shrugged.

“It’s just bits and pieces really. Training, a kiss every now and then, stolen nights spent together. I wish I could ask you to help me remember it…but there won’t be enough time,” Bucky said and she looked confused.

“Come again?” She asked bewildered.

“T’Challa is gonna put me back on ice,” Bucky explained and she looked startled, a fleeting emotion on her face before it was gone so quickly Bucky couldn’t name it. “Everything Hydra put in me is still there. T’Challa and Shuri are gonna try and find a way to remove Hydra’s programing from my brain. I figure until then, I should go back under. It’s best for everyone, so no one can use me again. I haven’t told Steve yet.”

“Why are you telling me?” Natasha inquired.

“Because you seem like a good friend to Steve. He could use those, someone to watch his back and keep him centered,” Buck said and Natasha looked up at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Years ago, what drew me to you was that you were dangerous. It excited me. But I wish I had gotten to know this version of you instead. You’re a good man Bucky Barnes; don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

Natasha then puts a hand on one side of his face and leaned up, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss that was a far cry from the passionate and rough ones Bucky recalled from his fractured memories of her. 

Cisco was sitting on a separate couch, deep in thought as Steve walked over to him.

“Something on your mind Cisco?” Steve asked as he sat down next to Cisco.

“A lot actually,” Cisco said lowly and Steve nodded.

“Does it have to do with Barry?” Steve asked and Cisco looked over at him. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, we don’t know each other that well. I’m not expecting you to spill your deepest secrets. Just offering a friendly ear.”

“I don’t know what I expected to find when I came here, but this isn’t it,” Cisco finally admitted. “Barry…he isn’t like I remember. Whatever happened to him here, it made him…a different person.”

“It was a long road for him,” Steve said and Cisco raised an eyebrow. “He went through a dark period where he was convinced he didn’t deserve to be the Flash, wanted nothing to do with his suit, he even told me to get it away from him.”

“What changed?” Cisco asked and Steve shrugged. 

“I don’t know honestly. He never really told us why he decided to put the suit back on. But the point is, a year ago, a speedster landed here, on our earth, with no way to get back home. Maybe someone different is leaving,” Steve said and Cisco looked thoughtfully.

“Maybe,” Cisco said softly as Shuri approached.

“Captain Rogers, may I speak with you? Privately,” she asked with a pointed look at Cisco.

“Of course,” Steve said as he got to his feet, walking over with Shuri to a secluded corner. “What is it Shuri?”

“When we were working on Ms. Maximoff and finding out what was done to her, we discovered something in her blood work,” Shuri began.

“Is she alright?” Steve asked, immediately panicking.

“She is fine,” Shuri was quick to assure him and Steve calmed down. “I didn’t say anything when we were speaking with the others because her condition is…private.” 

“Private how?” Steve asked wearily.

Shuri sighed before opened her mouth and telling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have little experience in medicine, so I hope the explanation for Wanda’s condition last chapter makes sense. 
> 
> In the original draft of the story, I had Bucky going over to Earth-1 with them with Wanda managing to deprogram him with his powers. However, as we got closer to this point, I felt it worked better to have Bucky go back under. That being said, this won’t necessarily be the last we see of Bucky.


	30. Return to Earth-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers discuss who is going to EArth-1 and who isn't.

Wakanda, Royal Palace  
Morning

The next morning, The Avengers, minus Barry and Wanda, who were in the med-bay, Cisco, Bucky, Laura, her and Clint’s kids, T’Challa, and Shuri sat at the dining hall as they had breakfast. 

“Steve, you okay?” Natasha asked as she saw Steve seemed distracted.

“Yeah, just a lot on my mind,” Steve said, feeling Shuri’s gaze on him and ignoring it.

“I can imagine,” Clint said and the atmosphere at the table changed noticeably.

“Lila, Copper, come on. Let’s let daddy and his friends talk,” Laura said in her warm voice, shifting Nate in her arms as she got on her feet.

The kids grumbled but pushed their chairs away from the table and followed after their mother, heading back towards the quarters T’Challa had assigned them with the energy only little kids could have. Tactfully, T’Challa and Shuri got up and left The Avengers alone to discuss their private affairs. No one questioned why Bucky and Cisco stayed, their place accepted in this rather odd group.

“So, what’s our next move Steve? We’re all fugitives now,” Sam pointed out and Steve sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Steve began. “I dragged you all into this mess and it was all for a lie in the end.”

“We all made our own choices Cap,” Clint pointed out.

“We followed you into this because it was the right thing to do, not because you asked us to,” Sam added.

“So what now Captain?” Scott asked and Steve, Natasha, and Cisco exchanged a glance.

“I think I have a temporary solution to your problem,” Cisco said as the others all looked over at him.

In the med-bay, Barry handed Wanda her jacket and she smiled before she took it.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I was really worried about you,” Barry said, shuttering as the image of Wanda’s unfocused eyes as he and Bucky entered her cell flashed through his mind.

“I am fine,” Wanda put on her red jacket before quirking an eyebrow at him. “But I sense that is not all that is on your mind.”

“Reading my mind now?” Barry said only half joking.

“I do not have to; it is written all over your face. Barry, what is it?” Wanda asked and Barry sighed.

“Cisco thinks he may have found a solution to our problem…”

“Wow,” is all Scott can say once Cisco has finished his explanation.

“So you want us to leave our earth, head to yours, and just…stay there?” Sam asked incredulously.

“I’m not making you go, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m offering you a place to lay low without fear of being caught so you can think about your next move. I’m not making you do anything; the choice is up to you. And you can leave anytime you want,” Cisco explained.

“Cisco, could you give us a moment?” Steve asked and Cisco nodded before standing up and walking out of the dining room.

“Well, this is one hell of an offer,” Clint muttered.

“Are we seriously thinking about doing this?” Sam asked, not angry, but wearily.

“It’s worth discussing Sam,” Natasha pointed out.

“I’m just wondering when my life became a sci-fi movie,” Sam put his head in his hands.

“So, we would go to your earth,” Wanda said slowly after Barry finished explaining Cisco’s plan.

“To Earth-1, yeah,” Barry said awkwardly.

“Do you want to go there?” Wanda asked carefully.

“It would be a good place to lie low for a while, I think,” Barry said evasively.

“Barry,” Wanda said and he sighed.

“You mean do I have other reasons? Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my family and friends back there. And I left some things unresolved when I came here. I feel like I need to go back, face my past,” Barry said and Wanda sighed.

“I understand,” Wanda said and Barry noticed the look on your face.

“It’s not forever. Is there a reason this bothers you so much?” Barry inquired. 

“You haven’t been back there in a long time. I understand how it must feel to go back…and want what was taken from you,” Wanda said and Barry understood.

“You think if I go back, I’ll want to stay. And that I’ll pick my old family over my new one,” Barry realized.

“Am I wrong to think that?” Wanda asked and Barry was silent for a moment.

“I can’t say that nothing will change when we go there, because things will change,” Barry acknowledged. “But one thing I know will NEVER change is how I feel about you. I love you Wanda, I didn’t know what love was before you. If you’re worried about Iris, you don’t have to. I thought I loved her at one point, but I didn’t. Not really.”

Barry walked over to her and took her face in his lands, bringing their faces together as they shared a sweet kiss. Barry pulled back slightly but close enough that they leaned their foreheads together.

“Steve and Cisco are telling the others the same thing right now,” Barry told her softly. “This is something I need to do. This afternoon, Cisco is gonna take me and whoever is coming with to Earth-1. If you want to stay here, that’s your choice. But don’t do it because you’re afraid of what will happen when we go there. Because, if you stay here, I will come back to you. I promise on my mother’s grave.”

Barry kissed her one more time before letting her go and heading towards the exit. He paused, turning back to look at her, drinking her in one more time.

“If you want to come with, be at the throne room in two hours,” Barry said before he turned and walked out, leaving Wanda staring after him.

Avengers Compound  
Same time

Tony stared down at the letter Steve had given him, a thoughtful look in his eyes. The door slide open and Rhodey, in a wheel chair, rolled in.

“Hey, who’s the letter from?” He asked and Tony sighed.

“Steve. Basically an ‘I’m sorry’ note,” Tony said, handing it to Rhodey, who quickly skimmed through it. 

“You know, with everything that’s been said and done, I can’t help but ask…was it all worth it?” Rhodey wondered.

Tony was silent, not really having an answer. Rhodey gave the note back and rolled out, sensing Tony need to be alone right now. Tony looked at the strange device Steve had given him in the package before looking at the phone next to it.

“No…I don’t think it was worth it,” Tony said to the empty room.

Wakanda, Royal palace  
Afternoon

“You okay man?” Clint asked Steve as they gathered in the throne room.

“No. But at least now, no one deny him the right to choose his own fate,” Steve sighed, remembering Bucky being frozen in that tube.

“I promise you Captain, I will do everything I can to help Sergeant Barnes,” Shuri said passionately and Steve flashed a slight smile.

“I appreciate that,” Steve said as Scott walked over.

“I guess this is where we say goodbye, huh?” Scott said and Steve nodded.

“Looks that way Scott. Thank you for your help, I know it came at great cost to you,” Steve said but Scott waved him off.

“It was the right thing to do. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. It was an honor to fight alongside Captain America,” Scott said, holding out his hand to Steve.

“The honor was mine,” Steve said as he shook Scott’s hand.

“At least you’re not bumbling over yourself this time,” Clint teased and Scott rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, you’re hilarious,” Scott said sarcastically as he and Steve dropped hands.

“You sure about this Clint?” Steve turned to his friend as Scott walked off.

“Laura and I talked it over. I tried to get out, they pulled me back in. Maybe a little time on an earth where no one knows us will be good for us,” Clint said and Steve winced.

“I’m sorry Clint,” Steve said but Clint waved him off.

“It’s not your fault Cap. I went against The Accords because it was the right thing to do. And knowing what I know now, I’d still do it. Obviously, I’d get Laura and the kids somewhere safe first, but I’d still make the same choice I made before all this,” Clint said and Steve nodded.

“Okay people, we need to get a move on!” Cisco called out and everyone gathered at the center of the room.

“Where’s Wanda?” Clint asked as he noticed the absence of the brunette.

“I guess she’s not coming,” Barry said with a sad smile.

“So, how exactly does this work?” Sam inquired.

“It’s a very complicated two-step process. One, I open a breach. Two, we go through it,” Cisco said sarcastically.

“You didn’t learn that before?” Natasha smirked and Sam simply rolled his eyes.

“So, you ready to go home kid?” Clint asked as he looked over at Barry.

“What I’ve learned over the last year, what you guys have taught me, is that home…is not a place. Home is the people around you, the people who fight with you and fight for you,” Barry said as he looked around at his friends, his family.

“I agree,” a voice spoke up and they looked around to see Wanda walk in. “I apologize for being late.”

“You’re not late at all, you’re right on time,” Clint said, smiling as he clasped her on the shoulder.

“Almost didn’t’ think you were gonna show,” Barry said, smiling brightly at her.

“I almost didn’t…but I can only control my own fear, if nothing else,” Wanda said, looking over at Clint, who smiled.

“You must be Wanda,” Laura spoke up and Wanda looked over at her. “I’m Laura, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Everyone’s here, good. Let’s get a move on,” Cisco said impatiently, eager to get out of here and this nightmare earth, as far as he was concerned.

“Thank you for your help,” Steve said as he looked over at T’Challa. 

“It is I who should be thanking you. You prevented me from making a terrible mistake. As I said, you will always be welcome here in Wakanda,” T’Challa said and Steve nodded in thanks. 

“Everyone ready for this?” Cisco asked as he looked around.

“Hang on, this is gonna be a wild ride,” Barry warned them.

Earth-1, Star Labs  
Same time

“They should have been back by now,” Iris worried as she paced. “It’s been almost forty-eight hours.”

“This isn’t like looking for someone in a coffee shop; Cisco has to look for Barry on an entire earth. It’s like looking for a needle in a hay stack,” Harry said sarcastically. 

“Iris, calm down,” Joe attempted to calm his daughter from where he sat. “I’m worried to, but losing our heads won’t solve anything.”

Suddenly, alarms blared, causing everyone to look around wildly.

“What is that?” Wally asked alarmed as Caitlin checked the computer.

“The breach room,” Caitlin said before they all rushed out of the cortex.

They made their way down to the breach room to see the blue light fade as Barry and Cisco appeared. However, what made them pause was seeing that the pair were not alone. Several other people who they had never met were there, including three children.

“Uh, guys? Who are these people?” Joe asked, not rudely but confused.

Barry was rendered speechless, simply drinking them all in. Knowing he was going to see his family again was one thing, but to experience it…he had to stop himself from opening his mouth, because he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from breaking down and hugging them all if he opened his mouth. Seeing Barry’s dilemma, Cisco stepped forward to help him out.

“Hey guys, sorry we’re late. These are Barry’s friends from Earth-66. They’re gonna be staying here for…awhile,” Cisco finished lamely as Team Flash all looked around confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be clear, the Earth-66ers who came to Earth-1 are Steve, Natasha, Sam, Clint, his family, and Wanda. Bucky obviously went under and I just could not find a decent justification for making Scott leave Cassie behind to go to another earth.


	31. Reunions and revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is reunited with his friends and family from earth-1, which makes Wanda uneasy. Barry reaches out to Oliver and confesses a long held secret.

Star Labs  
Afternoon

“Barry, who are these people?” Iris demanded, eying the strange group of people that had appeared with Barry and Cisco. 

“Bar, what’s going on?” Joe asked in confusion when Barry didn’t answer.

“To make a long story short, on their earth, the government decided to enact a North Korea style law that gives them control of the world’s superheroes. You’re looking at the heroes who said ‘hell no’ to that,” Cisco explained as he gestured to them.

“Barry and Cisco were kind enough to offer us a place to stay while we figure out our next move,” Steve added.

“Bar, are you okay?” Joe asked, taking a few steps closer to Barry, concerned over the fact that Barry had yet to speak and was staring at them all with the most vulnerable look Joe had seen on him save when his parents had been killed.

Barry still didn’t say anything, although he opened and closed his mouth several times. Barry took a few steps closer to his father, slow, calculated steps, as though he had to measure each one carefully. Then, without warning, he reached out and hugged Joe tightly. Joe, although surprised, quickly returned the embrace. 

“It’s okay son, I got you,” Joe said, looking at Cisco for an explanation, although Cisco avoided looking at him.

“Sorry,” Barry said as he pulled back, trying to regain control of his emotions. “It’s just been a while; I never thought I’d see you again.”

“It’s only been nine days man,” Wally pointed out.

Except it hadn’t, Barry wanted to scream. It had been a year. A year where Barry never thought he would see them again. And no matter how much he had grown to love Wanda and the rest of the Avengers, that had always been a burden on his happiness for the past year. But he knew this wasn’t the time or place to tell them that.

“You know how it works for us, the world moves a lot slower for us speedsters,” Barry said, exchanging a half handshake, half hug with Wally. “Been keeping up with training while I’ve been gone?”

“Yep!” Wally said cheerfully and Barry noticed the concerned looks on Iris and Joe’s faces.

Looks like that would be something Barry would have to deal with while he was here, he thought as he let Wally go. But now wasn’t the time for that conversation, he thought as Caitlin made her way over.

“You always get into trouble when you go for a run,” She joked and Barry laughed.

“I guess that’s why I should never run upset. How you doing Cait?” Barry asked and she shrugged.

“I haven’t gone on any homicidal rampages while you were gone, so I’m gone,” Caitlin joked and Barry flinched. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up. You made a mistake; you couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“So I’ve been reminded. It’s good to see you Cait,” Barry said with a slight smile.

“You too Barry,” Caitlin said as she hugged him.

“Welcome home BA,” HR said, twirling his drumsticks and Barry smiled as he let Caitlin go.

“Thanks HR,” Barry said before looking over at Harry. “Cisco told me about how you came over from Earth-2 in order to help find me. So thanks Harry, I owe you.”

“Yes, you do. But I owe you as well, so let’s just call it even,” Harry said and Barry chuckled.

“Nice to see you haven’t changed too much,” Barry said before he was suddenly tackled in a hug.

“I was so worried about you,” Iris said as she kissed him repeatedly so fast Barry had no time to react.

“Yeah,” Barry said uncomfortably as he pulled back, seeing Wanda avoiding looking in their direction as Clint shot him a murderous look. “We should talk later. But for now, let’s meet my new friends!”

It was a stalling tactic, Barry knew it, Cisco knew it, and The Avengers knew it. But right here in front of everyone was not a good place to have this talk. 

“Steve Rogers,” Steve said as he stepped up to Joe, holding out his hand for Joe, which Joe shook. “You must be Joe West, I’ve heard a lot about you. Your son has been a great help to me and my team, helping us out of a very difficult situation.”

“That certainly sounds like Barry,” Joe said fondly as he looked over at Barry, who simply grinned.

“This is Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, his wife Laura, their kids Copper, Lila, and Nate, and Wanda Maximoff,” Steve said as he turned around, gesturing to each and every one of them as he spoke their names.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Caitlin said kindly. “Let me be the first to let you all know we will be glad to let you stay on our earth as long as you need.”

“Thank you Ms. Snow,” Steve said gratefully. Apparently his team had elected him spokesperson in this awkward situation. 

“Before we do anything else, Cisco,” Cisco started as Barry turned to him. “I need you to breach me to Star City.”

“What?” Cisco asked confused as everyone else looked at Barry, just as confused as Cisco.

“I need to talk to Oliver about something. Can’t run there without making my clothes catch on fire and I assume you’ll need time to make me a new suit,” Barr explained and Cisco nodded.

“You sure it can’t wait?” Cisco asked and Barry shook his head.

“I need to do this now,” Barry explained and Cisco sighed.

“Okay, but I’m going with you. You need a way to get back anyway,” Cisco said and Barry nodded.

“Thanks. You guys think you’ll be alright without me while I take care of this?” Barry asked as he turned to his friends from Earth-66. 

“I think we can handle an hour without you Allen,” Natasha said dryly.

“We’ll be fine kid, just do whatever it is you gotta do,” Clint told him and Barry nodded.

“Thanks,” Barry said gratefully.

Arrow lair  
Same time

Felicity was on the computer as Diggle was working out his frustrations on a punching bag. Oliver was at City Hall and neither of them knew where the recruits were. To be honest, they preferred a little quiet. Suddenly, a portal opened up and Diggle stopped to stare as Felicity jumped up, startled.

“What in the hell?” Diggle asked stunned as Barry and Cisco stepped out of the breach and it closed behind them.

“Hey guys, sorry to startle you like this,” Barry waved and Diggle sighed.

“I should have known it was you Barry. You couldn’t give a little warning?” Diggle asked exasperated.

“Sorry,” Cisco said and Diggle hung his head.

“I just need to talk to Oliver. Is he in?” Barry asked.

“No, he’s at City Hall. He is the mayor,” Felicity pointed out.

“Right, should have thought of that. Look, I don’t have my suit and my clothes will catch on fire if I run to City Hall. Can I borrow a car?” Barry asked.

City Hall  
Not long after

Oliver was doing paperwork at his desk when Thea pocked her head into his office.

“Ollie, you have a visitor,” Thea said.

“Whoever it is can wait just a minute. I’m almost finished,” Oliver said not looking up.

“Even me?” Barry asked as he pushed Thea aside and Oliver looked up as Barry entered.

“Barry? Another evil speedster?” Oliver asked wearily.

“Not exactly. But I really need to talk to you,” Barry said and Oliver could see the urgency and determination on his friend’s face. 

“Speedy, could you give us a minute?” Oliver asked and Thea nodded before closing the door behind her. “What is it Barry?”

“I need to tell you something, something I should have told you a long time ago. And when I do, you’ll probably want to punch me,” Barry said to Oliver’s confusion.

Star Labs  
Same time

“Nice digs kid,” Clint said as he walked into the quarters Caitlin had given Wanda.

“Hey,” Wanda said from where she was sitting on the cot in the room.

“You okay kid?” Clint asked and she shrugged.

“Fine,” Wanda said in an unconvincing tone.

“Come on kid, out with it,” Clint prodded as he sat down next to her and she sighed. “Does this have to do with Barry?”

“It was easy to forget that he had a family over here, that this wasn’t just another place to him. But…seeing how he just lit up when he saw them, how he fit in with all of them…I suppose I’m…scared,” Wanda confessed. 

“You think he’ll just forget about you? Not possible,” Clint said and she looked over at him. “You’re unforgettable. And I’ve seen how the kid looks at you. He loves you.”

“Just as he once loved Iris,” Wanda noted and Clint realized what was really bothering her.

‘You think he still loves her?” Clint asked.

“I do not know. That scares me. For the first time since I met him…I don’t know what he’s thinking. And it…terrifies me,” Wanda admitted.

Clint opened his mouth to speak when she closed her eyes and seemed to sway, her head landing on his shoulder. For a moment, Clint thought she needed comfort. But then he realized she wasn’t conscious.

“Wanda? WANDA?!” Clint screamed alarmed, frantically checking her pulse, relief coursing through him when he found it.

Star City, City Hall  
Same time

“Oliver?” Barry asked after he had finished telling Oliver and Oliver was silent for several moments.

“The only reason I’m not hitting you right now is because it would look bad for the mayor to attack a CSI from Central City,” Oliver said coldly and Barry winced.

“That’s fair. I know I can’t change what happened, but I can try to make things right. Cisco is at your lair, ready to breach us to Star Labs,” Barry explained.

“The only thing I understood is that Cisco is at my base and that he can get us back to Central City. Let’s go,” Oliver said as he got up from his desk.

“You’re gonna hit me as soon as we get in the car, aren’t you?” Barry asked as they made their way towards the door.

“More than likely,” Oliver said and Barry groaned.

Star Labs  
Not long after

“Well what’s wrong with her?!” Clint demanded, pacing back and forth in the med-bay as Caitlin was starting to examine Wanda.

“I won’t know unless I can examine her. For that, I need all of you out!” Caitlin snapped annoyed at The Avengers.

“Clint, come on,” Natasha said as she put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine if we let Caitlin examine her. She treated Barry for over two years. Let her do her job.”

Clint shot one last look at Wanda before, feeling like he’d just cut off his own arm, he turned and walked out. Sam followed, leaving Steve with Caitlin and the unconscious Wanda.

“You’ll have to excuse Clint. He thinks of Wanda as a daughter,” Steve said and Caitlin nodded.

“I understand Mr. Rogers. But I need you to leave so I can work on my patient,” Caitlin instructed but Steve didn’t budge.

“I’m still here because I think I know why she passed out,” Steve explained and Caitlin whipped her head towards her. “She’s not dying. She’s not sick or contracting a disease. Medically, there is nothing with Wanda.”

“Then why did she pass out?” Caitlin demanded.

Steve opened his mouth to tell her when an alarm went off.

“What is that?” Steve asked, ready to go into battle mode.

“The alarm for the breach room. Barry and Cisco must be back,” Caitlin explained. “Now, tell me what is wrong with my patient.”

Barry, Oliver, and Cisco stepped out of the breach as Iris and Joe walked in.

“Oliver Queen? What is he doing here?” Iris asked a little star struck.

“He’s the Star City vigilante,” Joe said disgruntled as he noticed the red eyes on Barry and Cisco. “What happened to you?”

“He hit us,” Cisco said, rubbing his eye as Oliver looked a little too proud of himself.

“We had it coming,” Barry said quickly.

“That’s up for debate,” Cisco grumbled.

“No, you definitely had it coming. Where is she?” Oliver growled as he looked over at Barry.

“In the pipeline. I’ll take you to her,” Barry explained and the other three members of Team Flash understood what was going on.

“Wait, that’s why you went Star City? Are you out of your mind?! Iris exploded.

“Barry, I don’t like this. I’ve heard how he has a blind spot when it comes to this world’s Laurel Lance,” Joe warned him as he eyed Oliver.

“This isn’t up for debate. Last time I checked, I owned Star Labs. That means this is my facility so I get to decide what to do with it. Come on,” Barry looked away from the others towards Oliver. 

As they watched in disbelief, Barry led Oliver out of the room to what they were all convinced was a mistake. 

“What the hell happened to him on that earth?” Joe wondered.

“Ollie,” Barry stopped as they stood outside the pipeline prison. “Just remember…she’s not our Laurel.”

“She’s a Laurel. That’s good enough for me,” Oliver said simply.

Barry simply nodded before turning and walking out. Oliver sighed deeply, gathering himself before pushing the button on the side panel. The casing lifted up, revealing the inside of the cell. The blond woman looked up and gapped at him from the cell. Oliver’s throat tightened as he stared at the doppelganger of a woman he had loved with all his heart. Once he found his voice, he said the same words to her he had once said to his Laurel so long ago.

“Hello Laurel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you are expecting an explanation on Wanda’s condition. It will come sometime in the next few chapters, I promise.
> 
> Yes, Black Siren is being let out. Barry’s experiences on Earth-66 and especially with the Red Death have made him realize what he has done with the Pipeline is wrong, so he has done what he always should have and told Oliver about Black Siren. This chapter and next will largely set the ground work for a Arrow spin off to this story.


	32. More revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Oliver talks to Laurel, tensions boil over between Barry and Team Flash, leading to Barry explaining what happened to him.

Star Labs  
Afternoon

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Oliver noted after Laurel was quiet for several moments. “So, I take it I’m dead on your earth?”

“You never came back from that damn bat trip,” Laurel finally found her voice as she stared at him, noticing the look in his eyes. “I take it I’m dead on this earth?”

“You died almost seven months ago,” Oliver said, his voice catching slightly at the end. 

“I’m sorry…for your Laurel,” Laurel said genuinely and Oliver nodded.

“And I’m sorry for your Oliver,” Oliver told her.

“Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow. He just got so much hotter,” Iris said dreamily from the cortex.

“She does still think she and Barry are together, right?” Clint whispered to Natasha.

“I think so,” Natasha whispered back.

“Barry,” Joe said as Barry walked into the cortex. “What is going on? You’re really letting him walk out of here with that killer?”

“I just told him about her and agreed to take him to her. Whatever Oliver decides is up to him,” Barry told him. “But either way, this thing where we keep Metas locked up down here, it stops. Now. No more Metas, no matter what the reason, no matter how short a stay, are going to be locked down there. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to start removing those cells from the pipeline.”

“Bar, you know I’ve never been a fan of this arrangement, but don’t you think that’s a little…extreme?” Joe asked uncertainly, speaking what most of Team Flash is thinking but didn’t have the courage to say.

“Well, why don’t I leave you in there for the night and you tell me how extreme you think I’m being,” Barry snapped and Joe recoiled. “This is not up for debate. This is my facility, so I’ll do whatever the hell I want with it!”

“Barry, does this have anything to do with where I found you?” Cisco asked hesitantly as the rest of Team Flash looked confused.

“Yeah, it does,” Barry nodded. “We were put in that cell, no judge, no trial, no lawyer, simply because we didn’t sign a document. And while I was there, I realized something: that prison is no better than the one we have here. In fact, it’s probably worse. At least the cells on The Raft had a bed, a bathroom more or less and some space for us to walk around. We don’t even give our prisoners that! What right do we have to play god like this with people’s lives?”

“We didn’t have a choice our first year Barry,” Caitlin spoke up.

“Did we really not have a choice?” Barry interrupted. “Cisco, when we needed to move the prisoners to Lian Yu, it took you a matter of hours to find a way to nullify the powers of the Metas, which is the whole reason for the prison to begin with.”

“Yeah, but I had Dr. Wells’ tech to do that,” Cisco argued.

“And are you honestly gonna tell me that, with all the time between when we first created the prison and then, that you couldn’t have come up with a way to do that without Thawne’s tech?” Barry inquired.

Cisco opened and closed his mouth several times but no sound came out.

“I don’t know,” Cisco said after several moments.

“You know what I think? I think you enjoyed it,” Barry said and Cisco started as they all stared at Barry. “I think you enjoyed the power it gave you. To tell you the truth, I think we all enjoyed it a little more than we should have. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“How could you have changed so much? It’s only been nine days,” Iris said in confusion and Barry finally snapped.

“NO, IT’S HASN’T IRIS!” Barry exploded.

Iris and the rest of Team Flash, minus Cisco, froze. The only sound in the room was Barry’s heavy breathing as the words settled over everyone.

“This should be good,” Clint muttered and Natasha nodded.

“Should we really be watching this?” Steve asked and they shrugged.

“What do you mean ‘no it hasn’t’ Allen?” Harry asked and Barry sighed as he turned away, running a hand over his face.

“For all of you, it’s been nine days,” Barry began as he turned around to face them. “But for me, it’s been over a year.” 

“And then my father pulled out a gun, shot the crew member, told me to survive, and shot himself in the head,” Oliver told Laurel as they told each other their life stories. “I take it that didn’t happen here?”

“The boat trip happened, minus you taking my sister with you, dick move by the way,” Laurel said and Oliver winced. “Your father pulled out the gun, but that’s where things happened differently on my earth. Instead of shooting himself, he shot you.”

“What?” Oliver asked shocked and Laurel smiled sadly.

“I overheard him telling your mother. You were telling him how you needed to get back to me and he decided you would never make it out there. So he pulled out the gun and killed you. ‘Putting you out of your misery’ he called it,” Laurel said bitterly.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Oliver muttered turning away slightly. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Laurel said, surprised to find she meant it. 

“It’s fine. I probably needed to hear that. So, how’d you go from that to working for Zoom?” Oliver asked as he turned around to face her.

“I moved to Central City because there was nothing left for me in Starling City. It was going well, wasn’t happy by any means but it was livable. Then things went to hell when Wells’ Particular Accelerator exploded. Woke up one day with the poor to scream things into dust. Not long after that, I was rounded up along with a bunch of other people with powers like me. We were taken to a facility where we were experimented on and tortured for two years. Then, Zoom found us, freed us. By then, the world had already decided that Metahumans were the next ISIS and were to be treated as such. I decided then that if the world was going to treat me as a monster simply because of who I am, then I might as well act the part,” Laurel said and Oliver stared at her silently, noting the look in her eyes that was so familiar.

It took him a minute to figure out it was the same look he had seen every day he looked in the mirror since coming back from the island. 

“I came here to see if you were simply evil or broken. Then, I was going to decide if you deserved a second a chance, a chance to perhaps atone for your sins,” Oliver said and she raised an eyebrow.

“And what did you decide?” 

“So, let me get this straight,” Joe said as he rubbed his temple after Barry and Cisco had explained things. “When you create a breach, it’s also a portal through time?”

“It makes sense Joe. I was on Kara’s earth for over twenty four hours but only a few seconds passed here. I was on Earth-66 for a year but only a week passed here,” Barry pointed out.

“Does this make any kind of sense to you?” Joe asked as he turned to Harry.

“When Barry goes so fast he opens a breach, he’s tearing a hole through the fabric of time and space. So it’s more than possible that Barry could be traveling through time when he goes to another earth,” Harry admitted.

“So, you’ve been living on Earth-66 for the last year? Why didn’t come back to us?” Iris asked and Barry shook his head.

“I couldn’t. My tachyon device was destroyed almost immediately after I got there,” Barry explained, running a hand over his face. “Look…you all keep looking at me like you want things to go back to the way they were. But the things is, I’m not who I was before. I can’t just go back. I’m not the man I was. He died over a year ago.”

Without another word, Barry turned and walked out, leaving Team Flash staring after him.

“You’ve have to excuse him,” Steve said as he walked forward and Team Flash turned to him. “He’s been through a lot the last year.”

“More than what I saw on your earth of nightmares?" Cisco asked sarcastically.

“That’s his story to tell. Just…be patient with him,” Steve told them kindly.

“You guys feel like you know him pretty well?” Wally asked as he eyed The Avengers. 

“Like family,” Clint said without hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I was going to have more such as Oliver’s decision and Wanda waking up (possibly with the revelation of her condition, but that could still be up in the air for a few more chapters), but I felt that this was a pretty good stopping point. 
> 
> Black Siren’s backstory will be expanded upon in the spin-off story. Obviously, she keeping a few things to herself for now because he may be Oliver, but he’s not her Oliver.


	33. An end and a beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver learns some stunning information regarding Felicity as Barry receives stunning news from Steve. Barry finally has that talk with Iris.

Star Labs  
Late afternoon

Barry sat in the speed lab, a hand on his chin as he stared into space, lost in thought. Steve lingered in the doorway before walking in.

“You okay?” Steve asked and Barry shook his head.

“Not really,” Barry said and Steve nodded as he sat down next to Barry.

“You want to talk about it?” Steve asked and Barry was quiet for several moments.

“I didn’t think about it Cap,” Barry said softly. “When we decided to come back here, to this place…I didn’t think about how hard it would be, to face my past. Everything looks the same but it’s different. I’m different. I spent so long missing them but now that I’m back I feel this…distance between me and them. I’m not the same man I was a year ago…and I’m not sure they can accept that.”

“Give them time. Remember, it’s only been nine days for them. You dropped a huge piece of information on them, let it sink in, give them time to get to know you as you are now,” Steve told him wisely.

Barry nodded, looking thoughtfully as footsteps approached the room. The pair looked up to see Oliver walk in, Laurel trailing behind him. From the nasty look she shot him, Laurel hadn’t forgiven Barry for his part in her imprisonment. Honestly, Barry couldn’t think of a reason why she should.

“Heading back to Star City?” Barry asked as he and Steve got to their feet.

“Yeah,” Oliver gave a stiff nod and Barry sighed.

“Look Oliver, I’m sorry I kept this from you,” Barry began.

“I don’t want your apologies,” Oliver snapped before softening. “Because you don’t owe me one.”

“What?” Laurel asked shocked.

“Yeah, what?” Barry asked equally shocked.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about any of this. But, with everything that went down with your dad, I can understand how this didn’t cross your mind. And you told me the truth. Which is more than I can say for the rest of your team,” Oliver said, a hint of anger in his voice.

“Actually, I did.”

The four of them tuned around to see Cisco lingering in the doorway.

“What do you mean you did?” Oliver demanded.

“After my brother died in a car accident a few months ago, I sent an email to your system at your lair, telling you about her,” Cisco gesturing to Laurel. “When you didn’t show up here, I figured you decided to just leave her here.”

“I never got any email,” Oliver said, his mind racing. “But Felicity would have.”

“You think she kept it quiet?” Barry asked surprised.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Felicity has an almost OCD need to know everything on our system. There is very little chance she didn’t read that email,” Oliver said, a fury settling in his stomach.

“Felicity Smoak? Typical,” Laurel scoffed and Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“You know her from your earth?”

“You could say that,” Laurel said vaguely but didn’t elaborate. 

Oliver felt there was a story there but didn’t push. She may look like his Laurel, but she wasn’t. While she was a carbon copy of his late love and friend, she was a complete stranger to him. He just hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake. 

“You must be Oliver Queen,” Steve, bringing Oliver out of his thoughts as Steve held out a hand to him. “Steve Rogers. Barry’s told me a lot about you.”

“Funny, he hasn’t mentioned you,” Oliver said, shooting Barry a look but accepting Steve’s offer of a hand shake.

“He wouldn’t have, we didn’t know each other then,” Steve explained and Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“So how did you two meet then?” Oliver asked as they lowered their hands to their sides.

“That’s a long, complicated story I’ll explain to you another time. But I think Star City is going to start missing its mayor and protector,” Barry said and Oliver nodded.

“Yeah, let’s getting going. If I never see this place again, it’ll be too soon,” Laurel said bitterly as Cisco began leading her to the breach room.

“Thank you, for telling me about her,” Oliver told Barry.

“Don’t thank me. I don’t deserve any thanks. But I want you to know, if she steps out of line, I will be there to take her down,” Barry promised.

“You won’t need to, because I’ll take her down myself if that happens,” Oliver said as he eyed Barry. “You seem...different.”

“Good or bad different?” Barry asked as Oliver continued to eye him.

“That remains to be seen,” Oliver said before turning to follow after Cisco and Laurel.

“You were right about him, he is a little…extreme,” Steve said as he stared after Oliver.

“Kind of reminds me of you in some ways,” Barry said and Steve laughed.

“Maybe,” Steve admitted before frowning. “Barry…there’s something you need to know. About Wanda.”

“Is she okay?” Barry asked concerned as he turned around.

“She’s gonna be fine. But there is something that you should know,” Steve said as he placed a hand on Barry’s shoulder.

After sending Oliver and Laurel back to Star City through a breach, Barry, Cisco, and Steve reentered the cortex.

“Why did we not think of this before?! This saves so much time,” Cisco said before he noticed the faraway look on Barry’s face. “You okay man?”

“Yeah, fine,” Barry said as he shook his head. “Yeah, not sure how we didn’t think of this before. It will save a lot of time for getting to and from Star City when we need their help, I admit.”

As they reentered the cortex, Team Flash stood up.

“Barry,” Joe said and Barry winced.

“Look, I’m sorry I ran out of here after dropping that on you. That wasn’t fair,” Barry apologized.

“You don’t owe us an apology. If anything we owe you one,” Joe said as he walked over to Barry. “I can only imagine how hard it must have been to realize you were trapped in that new, strange place with no way home. That must have been so difficult for you.”

“It wasn’t all bad,” Barry assured him.

“No, I see you made some great friends,” Joe said as he looked from Steve to where the others Avengers stood in the corner. “I want to thank all of you. You helped my son through a difficult period. For that, you will always be welcome in my house.”

“Thank you Mr. West,” Steve said humbly.

“Please, call me Joe,” Joe insisted.

“Well Joe, know any place some of us can stay? Because I don’t think we’re all gonna fit here,” Clint pointed out.

“I’ve got room, at least one of you can stay with me,” Cisco volunteered.

“And we have a spare room at our house,” Wally pointed out. 

“Unless you want your old room back?” Joe said as he turned to Barry.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Barry hedged, knowing he and Iris under the same roof was a bad idea. “I think I’m just gonna bunk here.”

“Come on, I know it’s awkward, but we can make it work,” Iris said, walking over and trying to take Barry’s hand, surprised when he pulled his hand back.

“Guys, can Iris and I have the room?” Barry asked as he looked around at everyone.

The Avengers and Cisco quickly left, knowing what was about to happen and not wanting to be anywhere near it. The others looked a little confused but nodded, leaving Barry and Iris alone.

“Barry, what is it?” iris confused and Barry sighed.

“We need to talk Iris. Things…have changed. I have changed. I’m not the same man I was,” Barry began.

“I know. I understand that it’s been a year for you. I know we can’t just pick up where we left off but I’m willing to work on our relationship if you are. I love you Barry,” Iris said optimistically and Barry sighed again

“Iris, I love you. A part of me will always love. Just…not like that. Not the way you want, not anymore,” Barry said gently and Iris face paled with each word he spoke. “While I was on Earth-66, I had to let go of the possibility of finding my way back here. I had to let go of you. For so long, you were my world, my everything. A world without you in it was terrifying but also… exciting I guess is the word. And eventually-”

“No,” Iris held up a hand, trembling. “Don’t say it. You told me you loved me. That the sound of my voice would always bring you home. You said that Barry!”

“I know and I meant those words with all my heart. But that’s who I was, not who I am. I had to move on with my life. And eventually, I fell in love with Wanda,” Barry said, hating the tears that ran down her face, wanting to wipe them away as he had multiple time in the past but knowing he couldn’t. “The man you loved…that’s not me. Not anymore. The love we had will always be special to me, but our relationship ended the moment I found myself on Earth-66. I’m sorry Iris…but it’s over.”

Barry turned around and began walking away from Iris. He heard her beginning to sob but kept on moving. Nothing he could say or do would help Iris in the long run. It wasn’t his place anymore. For so long, he thought his only place was by Iris’ side. Maybe at one time, it was. But not anymore.

“How’s she doing?” Clint asked as he and Caitlin stood in the med-bay, Caitlin checking Wanda over one more time.

“She’ll be fine Clint. She’s a little dehydrated and needs some food, plus I’m a little worried about how much stress she’s been under, but she’ll be fine,” Caitlin assured him, even as she kept from telling him the real reason Wanda had passed out.

It was best her patient knew before anyone else did.

“Good, that’s good,” Clint said as Barry walked in.

“How’s our girl doing?” Barry asked as he stared down at Wanda’s sleeping form.

“In summary, a little dehydrated, not getting enough food, and overstressed, but she’ll be fine,” Caitlin assured him, seeing the look Barry was giving Wanda and smiling slightly. 

“That’s good,” Barry said, noticeably relaxing.

“Clint, why don’t we see what we can do for you and your family?” Caitlin asked, walking over and trying to lead Clint away.

Clint got the hint and gave another look to Wanda but looked at Barry, knowing she was in good hands. So he let Caitlin lead him out so they could see about arrangements for his family.

Once they were gone, Barry sat down in a seat next to Wanda’s bed, sighing.

“Better tell him from across the room. Or better yet, a phone call. From China,” Barry muttered.

“Tell who what?”

Barry looked up to see Wanda’s eyes blinking open, her vision obviously coming into focus.

“Hey, how do you feel?” Barry said as he stood up, walking over to the bed she was on.

“Tired. And confused. What happened?” Wanda said as she sat up.

“You passed out,” Barry said as he knelt down next to her bed, taking her hand.

“I passed out? Why?” Wanda asked stunned.

“Dehydration, not eating properly, a lot of stress. But, those are only factors in why,” Barr said vaguely, gently caressing her smooth hand in his own.

“What?” Wanda asked confused and Barry tried to find the words.

“Wanda…I’m not quite sure how to say this,” Barry admitted, not looking at her as she watched him in confusion.

“Barry, you’re scaring me. Whatever it is, we can deal with it together,” Wanda said and Barry smiled slightly.

“I hope you feel that way after I tell you what it is. Wanda….you’re pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, Felicity knew about Black Siren and most likely kept it to herself. Because Oliver clearly didn’t know and Thea had to be told by Oliver and Quentin by her. Diggle I can see going either way honestly. This is something that will be addressed in the Arrow story, which likely won’t get published until after the Invasion part of the story, which will begin soon, I promise. 
> 
> I don’t consider myself a great writer of romance or drama, so I hope the Barry/Iris breakup was okay. 
> 
> For those of you who thought Wanda was pregnant, you were right! Although I kind of made it obvious a few chapters ago.


	34. Things change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Wanda deal with Wanda's pregnancy as Joe learns the nature f their relationship. Barry and Iris butt heads over Wally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not my best chapter, more of a filler than anything, but here we go.

Star Labs  
Morning

Wanda stirred slightly, feeling the warmth of Barry’s arms around her. She opened her eyes and her vision came into focus. At first, she didn’t know where they were but then it came back to her. The Raft, Wakanda, coming to Earth-1. And the news, Wanda thought as she looked down at her still flat stomach, knowing her and Barry’s baby was inside of her now.

“How’d you sleep?” Barry’s voice nearly made her jump. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” 

“I slept fine,” Wanda said softly and felt Barry nod beside her.

“What are you thinking?” Barry asked, noting she had a pensive look on her face.

“I-I never pictured myself as a mother. Every day was just ‘how do we survive the next week’. Even after Sokovia, I could never picture bringing a child into this life. And yet now…I am,” Wanda said with a faraway look in her eyes.

“Are you saying you want to get rid of the baby?” Barry asked cautiously.

“No!” Wanda said quickly. “It just…surprised me. That’s all. My mother died when I was ten, I don’t know how to be a mother. But…I want this baby,” Wanda admitted.

“So do I,” Barry said and Wanda nodded, an uncertain look on her face.

“And what about iris?” Wanda asked, taking Barry back. “I know you…were together while you were here.”

“Wanda, I broke up with her. And I would have made that same decision regardless of whether you were pregnant or not. I cared about her very deeply at one point, but it was never love. I fooled myself into thinking I did, but I don’t. I love you and I love our baby. It hasn’t even been born yet but I love you both so much,” Barry told her softly and Wanda smiled slightly.

“I love you to,” Wanda said, leaning up slightly and they kissed.

West house  
Same time

Joe walked down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. He had had a hard night’s sleep, they all had. Which was Iris’ fault, to be honest. Once sleeping arrangements for the Avengers had been assigned (Sam with Cisco, Natasha getting Barry’s old room with Steve crashing on the couch at the West House and the Bartons unquestioningly staying at Star Labs with Barry and Wanda), they had all gone home. Once they reached home, Iris had stormed up to her room. They had heard the sounds of crashing like something was being thrown around. The rest of the night, only the sound of Iris crying could be heard. 

Joe heard the sounds of things moving around the kitchen, bringing him out of his thoughts. Joe looked over at the couch and, seeing Steve not there, assumed it was Steve in the kitchen. Joe walked into the kitchen and saw Steve separating an egg and putting it in a skillet. Natasha sat on the counter, she and Steve quietly talking in a way that was familiar to Joe. It was the way partners on the force who had been at each other’s side for years would talk, like they knew exactly what the others would say.

“Joe,” Steve said as they saw him. “How do you like your eggs, sunny side up or scrambled?”

“Scrambled. Look, I’d like to apologize for the rough night we all had last night. I don’t know what caused Iris to be that upset,” Joe said before noticing the look is guests exchanged. “But clearly you do.”

“It’s not our place to say,” Steve hedged. 

“It’s probably best he hears it from someone who won’t try and twist it,” Natasha argued and Steve shot her a look even if he silently agreed. 

“Twist what?” Joe demanded.

“As you know, Barry thought he’d never find his way back here,” Steve began carefully, trying to word this delicately. “As far as Barry was concerned, his relationship with your daughter had ended. And after a few months, he and Wanda…”

“Oh,” Joe said as he caught the implications. “I see. This certainly…complicates things.”

“Like one of those teen shows,” Steve agreed.

“Does he…love her?” Joe asked hesitantly.

“That’s something you need to ask Barry,” Steve told him.

“Yes,” Natasha said and Steve shot her a look. “What, he needs to know what he’s walking into. Barry loves Wanda, not Iris. He’s not that little kid who worshiped the ground she walks on anymore. That is why Iris threw her temper tantrum last night. He told her this and she didn’t react well.”

Upstairs, Iris laid awake, eyes wide open. After some long thought, she had come to a conclusion: Barry still oved her, he’d just forgotten. Therefore, it was her duty to remind him that he loved her and not some twenty-one year old distraction. 

Star Labs  
Later in the morning

“A Flash?” Clint said as he held the beverage in his hand.

“Yeah, they named a drink after him apparently,” Sam said taking a drink of coffee from Jitters that he and Cisco had brought over. “I kind of want a drink named after me now.”

“Yeah, I’m sure people will just be lining up to get a Falcon,” Clint said sarcastically. 

“Hey, where are Laura and the kids?” Sam said as he noticed the absence of them.

“Caitlin took them out shopping. Don’t know how long they’ll be here,” Clint sighed, hating that he put his family in this position.

“Don’t blame yourself man. Zemo played us all, none of us could have seen this coming,” Sam assured him, placing a hand on Clint’s shoulder. 

“Nat put in The Iron Man file ‘Tony Stark not recommended’. Should’ve listened,” Clint said bitterly.

“Won’t hear any arguments from me,” Barry said as he and Wanda walked in.

“Hey kid,” Clint said as he walked over to Wanda, putting a hand on her shoulder. “How are you doing?”

“I am fine. I am hungry though,” Wanda noted.

“I brought donuts,” Cisco gestured to the box on the table.

Barry speeds over, grabs two donuts, and speeds back over, holding one out to Wanda. Wanda smiled and took one as Barry took a bit out of the other.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Sam asked as Barry swallowed and Wanda began eating her donut.

“I set something up in the speed lab,” Barry said and was met with several looks. “But first, we need to wait for Wally to get here.”

“I’m here,” Wally said as The Wests, Steve, and Natasha walked in.

Barry is surprised to see Iris there, given their last conversation, but gives it no further thought. Iris is more than welcome to come here if she wants.

“Good, I want to show you something in the Speed lab,” Barry said, gesturing for Wally to follow him. 

Everyone heads down to the speed lab and find an apple on a stool in the center of the room. There is also a line drawn several feet away from it.

“Um, what’s this?” Wally asked confused.

“This is your training,” Barry said Wally perked up as Joe and Iris looked at Barry in disbelief.

“You’re not messing with me here?” Wally asked eagerly and Barry smiled.

“Nope. Get on the line and we’ll get started.”

“Um, Barry, can I talk to you?” Iris interrupted, looking at Wally nervously.

Barry nodded, knowing she would have a problem with this. Barry and Iris walk off into the hall as Wanda watched nervously.

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to give Wally any ideas he could be you,” Iris said once they were out of earshot.

“You have this habit of giving orders and expecting everyone to follow them. We didn’t agree to anything regarding Wally’s speed. He’s not me, but he’s a lot like me when I first found out about my powers. He’s gonna use them, the more you try and tighten your grip on him, the more he’ll rebel. He doesn’t need your permission to use them and I’m not asking your permission to teach him. I know it’s been a year for me, but last time I checked, this was my team, not yours. You can stay as a guest, or you can leave, but this is happening with or without you,” Barry told her firmly.

“What happened to you over there Barry?” Iris asked, not even being able to recognize the man that stood before her as the same man who she had comforted over Cisco and Caitlin less than two weeks ago.

“I grew up. And learned the meaning of sacrifice and duty,” Barry said bluntly.

Iris, unable to take it anymore, turned and walked off. Barry stared after her, hating that things were like this between them but not regretting any of his actions. 

“That was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Joe said as he walked up behind him.

“Maybe, but necessary,” Barry said as he turned around to face Joe. “I know you have some reservations about Wally learning how to control his speed Joe but-”

“But I can’t stop him anymore than I could stop you, I know,” Joe cut him off as he eyed him. “I’m just…concerned. You seem so different.”

“Because I am different Joe. The man I was, the boy I was, is gone. You can either accept that or not, but I’m not who I was,” Barry said bluntly.

“I know. I guess I’ll just have to get to know you as you are, not as you were. This Wanda girl…you love her?” Joe asked and Barry sighed.

“Let me guess, Natasha?” Barry asked and Joe nodded. “Should’ve known she’d spill the beans. Yeah, I love her. She’s important to me Joe. I really hope you can accept that, because whatever happens, she will always be an important part of my life.”

“I understand. I guess I should start by getting to know her. You two, come to dinner tomorrow,” Joe said and Barry was thrown.

“But Iris-” 

“I can make sure she’s…occupied. I’m more interested in getting to know the new woman in your life,” Joe said and Barry grinned.

“Okay. For now, we should get back before Wally loses it,” Barry said and Joe laughed as they walked in.

“What took you so long, let’s go!?” Wally said impatiently as he stood on the line..

“Alright,” Barry laughed before speeding a few feet in front of the apple. “Your first lesson is to get this apple.”

“That’s it?” Wally said unimpressed and Barry smirked.

“You’ve to get passed me to do it. Think you can handle that?” Barry goaded and saw Wally fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

“Hell yeah!” Wally said, taking off towards the apple.

Only for Barry to stop him in his tracks. Barry sped over and, with a well-aimed him to Wally’s stomach, Wally doubled over before Wally suddenly found himself on his back, staring up at Barry.

“Know what you did wrong??” Barry asked him.

“I got hit?” Wally asked in pain.

“You rushed n. All you were concerned about was the apple. It takes more than speed to do what we do. You need to think. You’re faster than me, I admit, but speed will only get you so far,” Barry told him.

“Can’t Barry go easy on him?” Joe asked concerned.

“That was him going easy,” Wanda said and Joe blinked.

“Relax, we were a lot harder on him than he’s being on Wally,” Natasha said as she gestured to herself and Steve.

“You need more than speed,” Barry held a hand out to Wally and helped him up. “You need strength, strategy, and you need to know how to react. You can’t run your way out of everything Wally. That’s lesson one.”

“And lesson two?” Wally asked and Barry smiled.

“Lesson two…is let me teach you how not to get yourself killed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Iris seems downright delusional about her relationship with Barry, well, she’s in the denial stage of grief. 
> 
> I’ve covered this subject before in my United We stand story, but the cliff notes version is that Joe’s support of WestAllen makes no sense and completely contradicts his characterization as this near perfect father figure. And the clear favoritism he shows Iris grates on my nerves to be honest.


	35. Gathering a team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Dominators strike, Barry knows he needs to gather his allies in order to combat this new, unknown enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after thirty four chapters, we’ve finally reached Invasion. Here’s the first part.

It had been a week since Barry, Cisco, and the Earth-66 natives had arrived on Earth-1 and things were settling in.

 

Knowing that the Bartons would need more space, Barry had placed a call to Lyla who had set Clint and his family up in an apartment while they stayed on Earth-1, to Clint’s gratitude. The kids had also taken to Wanda quickly, treating her as though she had always been a part of the family, to Clint’s delight.   

 

Barry continued to train Wally a few hours a day and was pleased with Wally’s progress. Wally was progressing much faster than Barry had been at this stage in his training in terms of pure speed. His fighting skill still left quite a bit to be desired but Barry knew it took time to be a skilled warrior. Hell, it took Oliver five years to become what he was. Barry knew he didn’t have that kind of time, so he was working on it with Wally at a reasonable but fast pace.

 

Joe’s invite for Dinner ended up being a family dinner between everyone. Except Iris, who had opted to pass, which Barry was grateful for. It was easy to see that she didn’t like Wanda solely because she had ‘stolen’ Barry and her dislike carried over to the rest of Barry’s friends from Earth-66. The dinner had gone great; they spent the whole time sharing stories, getting to know each other. By the end of it, Joe, Wally, Cisco, and Caitlin seemed to have accepted The Avengers into their makeshift family, to Barry’s immense relief.

 

But all good things must come to an end.

 

Star Labs

Night

 

Barry and Wanda were in the med-bay as Caitlin checked Wanda over, seeing how the pregnancy was developing.

 

“Everything seems to be normal. Both mom and baby are perfectly healthy,” Caitlin said once they were done.

 

“Thanks Cait,” Barry said gratefully as Wanda put her shirt back on.

 

“No problem. But is there any reason why you want me to keep this a secret from the others?” Caitlin asked curiously and Barry squirmed.

 

“Well, I wanted to make sure everything was okay and figure out the right way to tell them. And-”

 

“He’s afraid Clint will kill him,” Wanda said bluntly.

 

“So much,” Barry finally admitted and Caitlin laughed.

 

“I’m sure it will be fine Barry,” Caitlin pat him on the shoulder when speakers blared to life.

 

“Barry we’ve got a problem!” Cisco’s voice said freaking out.

 

Barry quickly sped into the cortex, where Cisco was on the computers.

 

“What is it?” Barry demanded.

 

“Meteor, downtown, now!” Cisco shouted.

 

Barry didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly changed into the new suit Cisco had made him, an exact replicate of the one he had been wearing when he arrived in Sokovia, right down to the Tachyon device under the embalm, and sped off.

 

Down Town Central City

Seconds later

 

Barry found the meteor and followed it as it crashed in Central City Park. He stopped in front of it and stared as he finally got a good look at it.

 

“Cisco, this isn’t a meteor,” Barry said but only got Static. “Cisco?”

 

Star Labs

Same time

 

“Barry, do you read me? Barry?” Cisco asked as The Avengers and Team Flash all walked in.

 

“What’s going on?” Wally asked.

 

“A meteor was headed for downtown. Barry went to check it out but something’s jamming the comms in his suit. I can’t reach him,” Cisco said alarmed.

 

Downtown

Same time

 

Barry walked over to the spacecraft in front of him, staring at it mesmerized. He placed a hand on it and was pushed back by a white blast of energy. He landed on his back, hard, as it opened up. These humanoid creatures with grey skin burst out, rushing into the open as Barry stared, shock on his face. They didn’t seem interested in him, snarling at him before they rushed passed him and disappearing into the night. Barry stood up, still in shock, before looking up at the sky.

 

“Come on, Aliens!? As if I didn’t have enough problems?!” Barry exclaimed.

 

Star Labs

Later

 

“Aliens? As in little green men?” Cisco asked as everyone stared at Barry in shock.

 

“They were big and grey, but yeah,” Barry explained.

 

“An alien invasion. Shame, I was really starting to like this earth,” Clint muttered.

 

“We’re not done yet. What we need to do is find out what they want and who they are,” Natasha pointed out.

 

“Well I think I know how to do that,” Cisco said and they looked over at him. “Chances are the government’s gonna try and cover this up. You know what that means.”

 

“Argus,” Barry realized and Cisco nodded.

 

“Argus?” Steve questioned.

 

“It’s basically this earth’s version of Shield. The director is the wife of a member of Oliver’s team. She’s a friend and I think she’ll be willing to bring us up to speed,” Barry said confidently.

 

Central City, next day

Morning

 

Lyla was about to walk off after basically being told to mind her own business by her superiors when Barry sped in, stopping in front of her.

 

“Lyla, what is this? I saw the weird ship that crashed-” Barry began.

 

“You saw a ship? What else did you see?” Lyla demanded.

 

“Enough to give Ridley Scott Nightmares,” Barry said simply.

 

Lyla looked over her shoulder, wearily eying some men in sits before turning back to Barry.

 

“Meet me at Star Labs, I’ll tell you everything I know,” Lyla promised.

 

Star Labs

Later in the morning

 

“We’ve been calling them the Dominators since we learned of them,” Lyla said as she handed Barry a photograph of a figure that seemed to resemble what he saw last night but it wasn’t a clear shot.

 

“Which is how long?” Steve demanded.

 

“Since the fifties Mr.…” Lyla trailed off.

 

“Steve Rogers, Ma’am,” Steve introduced himself.

 

“That was them in Redman, the Government tried to hush it up,” Sam realized and Lyla nodded.

 

"In 1951, they appeared under the same set of circumstances," Lyla said as the video screen show behind her showed footage from the fifties of The Dominators attacking US military troops. "A ship crashed, they weren't interested with communication. We found out they were abducting humans for experimentation. Hundreds of men lost their lives and then, for some inexplicable reason, they left. That was the last we heard of them until the DOD received this."

 

" _We pose no threat, human inhabitants_ ," A chilling voice spoke up as Lyla activated a voice recording. _"Understanding is our purpose. Any action against us, as shown to us in the past, will prompt swift retaliation._ "

 

“So when we discovered four ships heading towards earth, we were concerned it was happening again. One of them obviously landed here,” Lyla explained and Barry nodded.

 

“Right, because we don’t got enough crazy going on here in Central City,” Joe said sarcastically.

 

“Hey, you should see our earth,” Clint muttered.

 

“What do they want?” Steve demanded.

 

“They’ve ignored all attempts to communicate but we know, just like before, that the drop ships they sent contained a reconnaissance team sent here to gather more Intel about us,” Lyla explained.

 

“Looking for weaknesses,” Natasha noted.

 

“We have to do something,” Sam said.

 

“We are. Nearly every member state in the UN is in talks to coordinate a response. Action is being taken,” Lyla assured them.

 

“Lyla, we both know by the time that they agree we’ll likely be overrun. And even if they do act in time, no military can stop them. These guys are like World War Z zombies,” Barry argued.

 

“Barry, please, just let us handle this,” Lyla pleaded.

 

“I’m sorry Lyla, I can’t do that. I’m not asking for permission here. These Dominators clearly came to fight, so I’m gonna fight back. You wanna stop me; I’ll fight you to,” Barry said firmly and Lyla was silent.

 

“You know, Johnny always says how different you are from Oliver. I don’t think he sees how similar you actually are to him. I felt like I was talking to him just now, “Lyla mentioned.

 

Barry simply stared impassively as she took the file she had brought and walked out.

 

“Okay, that was badass Barry,” Wally said as Barry turned around.

 

“Barry, you can’t face these guys alone,” Iris said worriedly, putting a hand on his arm.

 

“He’s not,” Wanda said, eying Iris’ hand, which Barry quickly shrugged off and stepped away from Iris.

 

He did not want to test Wanda’s pregnancy hormones.

 

“He’s got us,” Steve spoke up.

 

“As touching as that is, we’re dealing with an invasion here,” Joe argued.

 

“We’ve dealt with that before. And the aliens we fought were a lot bigger than these guys,” Clint said confidently.

 

“Guys,” Barry said and they looked over at him. “As grateful as I am, Joe has a point. In New York, you had Tony, Thor, and Doctor Banner to help you out. We’re down some firepower here.”

 

“I know that look; you’ve got a plan, don’t you?” Sam asked and Barry chuckled.

 

“I have got a few ideas on how to build up some firepower,” Barry admitted.

 

Star City

Not long after

 

Green Arrow, Black Siren, and Spartan were in a fight with Vigilante. Vigilante shot off multiple rounds at the three before a red blur sped in and the three suddenly found themselves at the loft. Barry let go as Diggle stumbled over to the balcony, barfing. Barry grimaced as Oliver pulled back his hood and Laurel pulled off the mask that had belonged to her predecessor. The door opened and Felicity walked in.

 

“Hey Barry,” She greeted.

 

“Felicity,” Barry said neutrally.

 

After learning that Felicity had deliberately left Laurel to rot in the pipeline, Barry admitted that he had lost a lot of respect for Felicity. And it made him look at some things that he had heard about Felicity and seen her do in a different light. Not a good light either.

 

“So who was that guy?” Barry asked as he looked over at Oliver.

 

“That was Vigilante and we nearly had him!” Oliver snarled and Barry raised an eyebrow.

 

“Really Ollie? Because from my perspective, I saved you three from an early grave,” Barry said simply and Laurel smirked.

 

“He’s got you there,” Laurel said and Oliver glowered at her.

 

“Is there something I can do for you, another evil speedster I can help you with?” Oliver snapped.

 

“Maybe, but that’s not why I’m here. We’re being invaded by aliens,” Barry said and was met with four shocked looks.

 

“Okay, I’m a Metahuman from another earth  working with the doppelganger of my late boyfriend, but even I have hard time believing that,” Laurel said.

 

“I swear to god Barry, my life was somewhat normal before I met you,” Diggle grumbled as he walked back in.

 

“When I met you, you were working for a CEO who dresses up in a green hood and puts arrows into people,” Barry said and Diggle paused.

 

“Okay, that’s a fair point,” Diggle admitted.

 

“Back to the aliens Barry,” Oliver said.

 

“Right, they’re here, I saw them, and they do not look like they want peace, which Lyla confirmed,” Barry said and Diggle started.

 

“Lyla knows about this?” Diggle questioned.

 

“Yeah, and she basically told me to stay put,” Barry said.

 

“Well I hope you told her no,” Thea said as they noticed her.

 

“I did. I’ve had enough of government red tape telling me which bad guys I can and can’t stop,” Barry said firmly and Laurel smirked.

 

“I think I’m finally beginning to like you Red,” Laurel told him.

 

“Count me in,” Thea said and Oliver looked over at her surprised.

 

“I thought you retired?”

 

“I did but its Aliens,” Thea said as if that explained everything.

 

“Oh that’s so cute how you guys are just gonna get together and go fight some aliens. Have you lost your minds!? They’re aliens and there are four of you!” Felicity snapped and Laurel’s expression darkened.

 

“They’re won’t be,” Barry said quickly to prevent the inevitable argument. “I time traveled and spent a year on another earth, brought some friends I made back with me. And I was thinking we could call Professor Stein and the others.”

 

“Sara gave her father a way to contact her and he gave it to me when he left town last May,” Oliver nodded.

 

“And last year, I also traveled to another earth, met an alien superhero. She owes me one,” Barry said confidently.

 

Star Labs

Same time

 

“I know I promised you that I would be done with these,” Clint apologized as he got ready. “But if I don’t-”

 

“These Dominators will take over and your retirement will be for nothing. I understand Clint,” Laura put her arms around his neck. “Just come back to us.”

 

“I will. I’ve got a lot of people watching my back,” Clint promised as they kissed.

 

As Wanda put her jacket on, Steve walked up to her, dressed in his uniform.

 

“You sure you should be going out there?” Steve asked his concern evident.

 

“And if I don’t what would I do? Stay here while the man I love, the man who’s practically been a father to me since I joined The Avengers, and my team go into battle? I’ll drive myself crazy. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll keep myself out of trouble. Thank you though,” Wanda said smiling slightly and Steve nodded.

 

“It’s your choice. Just…be careful. We don’t want our newest member to get hurt, do we?” Steve joked and Wanda smiled, putting a hand to her stomach.

 

“Alright, you guys ready?” Clint said as he walked in, dressed in his suit and his quiver on his back.

 

“Hey, where’s your bow?” Natasha asked.

 

“It got trashed at the airport. Barry said Oliver has another I can use,” Clint said as Cisco rushed in, carrying a briefcase.

 

“Clint, Clint wait!” Cisco stopped, out of breath. “I…have…something…for you.”

 

“What?” Clint asked as he looked at Cisco wearily.

 

“Okay, so Barry told me how you lost your bow. And so, I spent the last week, when I wasn’t working on Barry’s suit, working on this,” Cisco said as he placed the briefcase on the table.

 

Cisco unlocked it and opened it up. Clint looked inside and when he saw what it was, he smirked.

 

“Kid, Barry was right about you: you are the greatest,” Clint said as he picked up his new bow.

 

Central City

Afternoon

 

“So what is this place?” Thea asked as Oliver, Laurel, Thea, and Barry stood on an airfield.

 

“Some hanger that Star Labs owns. Or, I guess I own it,” Barry said as The Avengers and Cisco walked up.

 

“About time you got here kid,” Clint said and Barry smiled.

 

“Sorry, got held up. Everyone, this is Oliver Queen, his sister Thea, and Laurel Lance from Earth-2. Everyone, these are Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and Wanda Maximoff from Earth-66,” Barry made the introductions.

 

“So, you’re the best archer on this earth,” Clint said as he eyed Oliver.

 

“So some say. Why?” Oliver said as he eyed Clint.

 

“Because I’m the best where I came from. Let’s see whose better when this is over,” Clint smirked and Oliver smiled, feeling the thrill of challenge.

 

“Can’t wait,” Oliver promised.

 

“I heard you had two more members of your team. John Diggle and Felicity Smoak?” Natasha questioned.

 

“Someone needed to stay with the recruits in order to protect the city,” Oliver half lied as Laurel smirked.

 

It was half a lie, because Diggle had been ordered to stay for that reason. But Laurel had refused to come if Felicity had, not that anyone blamed her.

 

Suddenly, a blue portal opened up and what the assumed was The Waveridder flew out and everyone stared.

 

“I’ve seen some strange stuff, but damn that is cool,” Clint whistled.

 

“Take everyone inside; I’ll be right back alright?” Barry said as he walked over to Cisco.

 

“Where are you going?” Wanda asked as the Avengers looked at him confused.

 

“Well, since we’re fighting Aliens, figured we might as well get one of our own, right?” Barry smiled before turning to Cisco. “Found the right earth?”

 

“Tachyon device tracked you on Earth-38 when you met her, so you should find her there,” Cisco said and Barry nodded in understanding as Cisco put on his glasses and opened a breach. “This might take a few tries.”

 

Barry grabbed Cisco and sped inside.

 

National City, Earth-38

Moments later

 

Barry and Cisco jumped out of the Breach, which closed moments later.

 

“This better be the right place,” Cisco said as he took off his glasses. “Because if this isn’t the right place, someone is about to be real confused.”

 

The door opened and Kara walked in, holding two bags.

 

“Barry!” she exclaimed as she saw him, putting her bags down and rushing over to hug him. “I knew that was you! I knew it!”

 

“Sorry, it took us a few tries to get here,” Barry said as she let go of him. “This is Cisco, my…associate.”

 

Cisco grimaced, the word feeling wrong. While he was not quite as angry at Barry, there was still a distance between them, the ghost of Dante marring their relationship. But still, the word associate felt…wrong to describe their relationship.

 

“Hi, Cisco,” Cisco held out his hand to Kara, who shook it. “I gotta say, this is a nice universe you have here.”

 

“Thank you,” Kara said politely.

 

“Hey, do you remember last year when I helped you out and you promised to return the favor?” Barry asked.

 

Kara’s face changed. Even though she was still dressed like Kara Danvers, Barry knew he was now seeing Kara Zor-El, Supergirl, protector of her city.

 

“What are we up against?” Kara asked.

 

“My earth is being invaded by aliens. They call themselves The Dominators,” Barry said and Kara started. “I take it you know them?”

 

“The invaded Krypton before I was born,” Kara explained and Barry and Cisco exchanged a glance.

 

“Your friends from Earth-66 fought off aliens; she has Intel about the Dominators. How do you get so lucky?” Cisco asked exasperated and Barry shrugged.

 

Star Labs Hanger, Earth-1

A little later

 

“Okay, Team Legends,” Ray gestured to himself and The Legends before pointing to Oliver, Laurel, and Thea. “Team Arrow. And Team…Avengers was it?”

 

“Just call us The Avengers would you?” Clint asked exasperated.

 

“Is that everyone?” Steve inquired.

 

“Nate and Amaya are watching The Waveridder. The newbies,” Sara shrugged.

 

Suddenly, a breach opened up and Barry, Cisco, and Kara, now dressed in her suit, jumped out.

 

"Guys, thanks for coming," Barry said as he walked over to everyone.

 

"Barry, I thought you were bringing an alien." Oliver pointed out.

 

"And yeah, we did. Everyone, this is my friend, Kara Danvers. Or as she's known on her earth, Supergirl," Barry introduced and Kara waved politely.

 

“And what exactly makes her so super kid?” Clint asked as he eyed Kara, unimpressed.

 

“Well?" Barry looked over at Kara and gestured in a 'show them' way.

 

Kara, to everyone's shock, flew up into the air and two blue beams shot out of her eyes. They hit the floor between Team Arrow and The Legends, moved around and made a flaming copy of the symbol on Kara's chest. Kara smirked as they all stared.

 

“Well I’m convinced,” Natasha said with a smirk.

 

“This, this is gonna be awesome,” Cisco said with a smile as he looked around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there’s not a whole lot of interaction between everyone, but this was more of gathering the teams. Next chapter, we will get more interaction between everyone.
> 
> Honestly, I don't know why Felicity was even in Central City other than fan service. She did not do anything in the Central City that Cisco could not have done without her. I'm not saying Felicity shouldn't have been in the crossover, but she should only have been in the Star City parts.


	36. The message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Barry brings everyone up to speed on The Dominators, he, Oliver, and Steve are delivered some shocking information.

Star Labs Hanger  
Afternoon

“Okay, I think I got this,” Kara said as she walked over to Team Arrow. “Oliver-”

“Green Arrow,” He said simply.

“Laurel-” 

“Black Siren,” Laurel said with a smirk and Sara winced.

Never had she been more grateful than now when Oliver had told her about her sister’s doppelganger. She doubted she would have been prepared had Oliver not told her when he contacted her. 

“Thea,”

“Speedy,” Thea said and Kara smiled.

“Awesome. Okay,” Kara walked over to Sara. “Sara-”

“White Canary,” Sara said, trying to take her mind off her sister’s doppelganger.

“And Jax and Professor Stein?” Kara asked.

“Firestorm,” The two told her, as in psycho as when they merged.

“Ray?” 

“Palmer. The Atom,” Ray told her with a smile.

“And Mick?” Kara asked and the man looked up from the burrito he was eating.

“Hmm? Oh, Heat Wave,” Mick clarified with his mouth full.

“And Steve?” Kara asked as she walked over to The Avengers.

“Captain America…or at least I was,” Steve said wistfully.

“Well who are you now?” Thea asked as everyone looked at him, The Avengers in compassion and everyone else in confusion.

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” Steve said with a strained smile.

“Okay…Natasha,” Kara said as she pointed to the redhead. 

“Black Widow,” Natasha said with a smirk that caused a shiver to go down Kara’s spine.

“Clint,” Kara said as she pointed to him.

“Hawkeye,” Clint said as Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” Oliver asked and Clint shrugged.

“I didn’t pick the name. I guess I just don’t miss,” Clint said confidently and Oliver narrowed his eyes, smirking at the challenge.

“We’ll see,” Oliver said as Natasha, Thea, and Laurel rolled their eyes at the antics of the archers.

“Sam?” 

“The Falcon,” Sam introduced himself.

“And Wanda?” Kara asked as she turned to the brunette. 

“I do not have a codename,” Wanda shrugged sheepishly.

“I’ll come up with one for you,” Cisco promised.

“Aaaand Caitlin and Iris,” Kara said as she turned to the mentioned women of Team Flash.

“That’s right,” Iris said and Kara smiled.

“And you have cold powers but can’t use them,” Kara listed and Teams Arrow and Legends turned to Caitlin.

“You have powers?” Thea asked surprised.

“It’s a long story,” Caitlin said vaguely. 

“Let’s get started Cisco,” Barry said, sensing Caitlin was uncomfortable.

Cisco nodded, sensing what Barry was doing and more than happy to help. Cisco clicked on his tablet and a screen in front of them lit up with the image of the Dominators Lyla had given them earlier. 

“These are The Dominators. We don’t know a lot about them but Kara says her people were invaded by them before she was born,” Barry gestured to Kara.

“I heard a lot of stories but no one really liked to talk about it,” Kara said apologetically. “All I really know is that they came to Krypton, my home planet, experimented on a lot of people, killed a lot more, and that they are really strong.”

“According to Allen, you’re pretty strong yourself,” Clint noted and Kara blushed.

“We should use Kara as a stand-in for training,” Oliver said in an authority filled voice.

“Since when Is Robin-Hood calling the shots?” Mick demanded and Oliver shot him a dark look.

“What I think Mick is trying to say is that it would be nice if we knew who was in charge around here,” Jax stepped in before Mick could piss Oliver off any further. 

“Yeah, maybe we should take a vote. Choose someone we can all trust,” Ray suggested.

“Since Barry brought us all together, I think it should be him,” Steve said to Barry’s surprise.

“Took the words right of my mouth,” Oliver said.

“Okay, Barry’s been nominated. All in favor?” Clint said and everyone but Cisco, Stein, Jax and Mick raised their hands. “Good, it’s decided. Allen, you’re team leader.”

“Alright,” Barry said thinly, wishing he’d gotten some heads up. “Oliver has a good idea about you Kara. Most of us have never fought an alien before, so would you mind serving as a…for lack of a better word, practice dummy?”

“Not sure how I feel about being compared to a dummy, but sure,” Kara shrugged.

“What do you mean most of us?” Mick demanded.

“I’m always fighting aliens on my earth,” Kara supplied.

“And we fought off an invasion a few years back,” Clint said as he gestured to himself, Steve, and Natasha.

“Yeah, but that invasion destroyed a good chunk of New York. Let’s try to avoid that here,” Barry said and the Earth-66 trio were shot surprised looks. “You three and Wanda, sit this one out. Everyone else, suit up.”

“Okay, them I understand. But why Wanda?” Sara asked as Barry was sent mental images of his very painful death by Wanda with the promise of great suffering if he was being overprotective.

“Well,” Barry shook off the mental images as best he could. “You see…how do I put this…”

“What Barry is trying to say is that Wanda would kick Kara’s ass,” Clint said bluntly and Wanda stared in surprise.

“I wasn’t gonna put it like that, but pretty much,” Barry said and Wanda flushed as everyone shot her stunned looks.

“This I gotta see. You,” Mick pointed at Wanda. “You’re fighting Skirt over there at least once.”

“Skirt?” Kara repeated as Barry shrugged.

“Okay fine, Kara, Wanda, you two get to spare before the others. Everyone, suit up,” Barry ordered and everyone began to move out. “Hey, Oliver, Kara,” Barry called out and the two paused, walking over to him. “I really wanted you two to meet. Oliver was the first person to train me.”

“Really? Well, you did a really good job.” Kara told Oliver.

“Because I didn’t hold back,” Oliver said bluntly, “I shot him.”

Kara looked at Barry incredulously and he nodded with a wince.

“You can’t hold back either,” Oliver warned her.

“Um, are you sure about that? I just met these people,” Kara said uncertainly.

“These people need to understand this isn’t gonna be easy. Don’t hold back. Especially against me,” Oliver told her firmly.

“Clint, you okay?” Sam asked as the rest of The Avengers noticed Clint watching Barry, Oliver, and Kara with an odd look on his yes.

“Yeah. I just…they’re us,” Clint said and his teammates looked at him oddly.

“Come again?” Steve asked confused.

“Oliver, he’s the best archer on this earth. He’s me. Kara is basically a really perky mix between Wanda and Nat. And Barry is nearly Caps’ clone with super speed. Tell me you don’t see it,” Clint said as he gestured to the trio as Oliver walked off.

“Oh my god, he’s right, they’re you,” Sam said as he looked back and forth between them.

“There are…similarities,” Wanda noted a little unnerved. 

After splitting off from Oliver and Kara, Barry rounded a corner and saw Cisco and Ray talking.

“Hey, everything set up?” He asked and Cisco looked over at him.

“Yeah, we’re all good,” Cisco said and there was a noticeable tension between the pair that Ray picked up on. “I better go get to work.”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded as Cisco walked off.

“Everything okay with you two?” Ray asked.

“No, but we’re working on it. Hey, uh, where’s Snart?” Barry asked and the look on Ray’s face told him everything he needed to know.

“I’m sorry, I forgot we never told you,” Ray said apologetically. 

“What happened?” Barry asked, hit with an unexpected pang of loss.

“He sacrificed himself to save us all. He died a hero,” Ray explained.

“A Legend,” Barry said with a sad smile and Ray nodded.

Barry looked over and saw Wally standing outside the hanger, arguing with Iris. With a tired sigh, Barry looked over at Ray with an apologetic smile.

“Excuse me,” Barry said before walking over to the arguing siblings.

“Barry, tell her I should be here,” Wally said once he saw Barry walk over.

“Barry, he’s not ready for this,” Iris said with a pleading look.

“You both have a point,” Barry said to their surprise. “Wally, you’re a part of this now. So you deserve to be here. But you’ll mostly be on backup. Everyone else here has been doing this a lot longer and, while you have come very far in a extremely short amount of time, I’m not sure you’re ready for this. You can stay here, but you have to follow orders. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Wally nodded.

“Okay, come on in,” Barry gestured and, with a cheer, Wally walked inside.

“Barry-” Iris began.

“Iris, I know you mean well, that you’re worried about Wally. But, if you go behind my back and try and be a backseat mentor to Wally again, we will need to have a serious conversation about your place on the team,” Barry told her firmly.

Barry then turned and walked off, catching up with Oliver, now dressed in his suit.

“You okay?” Oliver asked and he nodded as Steve walked up.

“We’re ready to start,” Steve said as Jax and Stein walked up to them.

“Barry, Oliver, before we start training, there’s something you two need to hear,” Jax said.

“A message that would be better if we could share it with you in private,” Stein said with a pointed look at Steve, who nodded.

“Understood, I’ll step away,” Steve said as he began to walk off.

“It’s okay, you can stay,” Barry said and Stein sighed.

“Alright, but no one else,” Stein said and Barry nodded in agreement.

“Let’s make it quick,” Barry said.

The five of them headed outside and got in one of the equipment vans. Stein pulled out a small device and pushed a button. A voice then spoke, one that was different but familiar to Barry.

“Captain Hunter, something has happened. A war is coming. At some point, you and your team will be called back to Central City to fight. When you return, nothing will be as it seems. Do not trust anyone, not even Barry.”

“Where’d you get that?” Barry asked softly once the message had ended.

“In a secret room on The Waveridder,” Jax explained.

“It was sent by Mr. Queen, from the year 2056,” Stein said to their shock.

“So, I sent a message forty years in the future saying that Barry couldn’t be trusted? Any idea why Barry?” Oliver asked confused.

“Flashpoint,” Steve said and Barry nodded.

“Flashpoint,” Barry sighed.

“What’s Flashpoint?” Jax asked confused.

“After my dad was murdered, I went back in time and saved my mom. I created a timeline where she’s alive, it’s called Flashpoint. I lived in it for a few months before I realized I had made a mistake and I tried to set things back to how they were supposed to be but-”

“It didn’t work,” Jax finished and Barry nodded.

“Nope,” Barry said miserably.

“Wow Barry, just…wow,” Oliver said, stunned, disappointed, and understanding all at once.

“What’s changed since you’ve done this?” Stein inquired.

“Cisco’s brother is dead. Caitlin has powers. Diggle has a son now instead of a daughter,” Barry listed.

“What? John had a daughter?” Oliver asked horrified as Barry nodded shame on his face.

“If you wanna yell about it, go ahead. I didn’t just screw up my life, I screwed up everyone’s lives, and apparently everyone’s lives in the future” Barry said in guilt.

“You can’t keep thinking like that Barry,” Steve said as he put a hand on Barry’s shoulder.

“I think we should bring everyone up on the up and up. We gotta tell ‘em.” Jax said firmly but Oliver shook his head.

“We are going up against a bunch of aliens, and you wanna tell everybody that their lives have been affected by time travel?” Oliver asked incredulously, seeing everything wrong with that plan. “One sci-fi problem at a time. You made a mistake Barry, it’s part of the job. But we can’t deal with it today.”

“Oliver’s right,” Steve said and Stein and Jax looked over at him. “When we were facing the Chitauri on our earth, we found out a secret was being kept from us and our team nearly self-destructed. It took someone dying for us to come together. We deal with the Dominators today, Flashpoint tomorrow.” 

Oliver nodded in thanks before walking, Jax behind him. Barry saw the disappointment on Stein’s face and looked away before walking out. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Steve.

“You don’t have the right to judge him,” Steve said and Stein looked up at him. “He made a mistake. But you have no idea what he’s been through because of that mistake. He’s suffered enough for his one mistake, lay off.”

Steve then turned and walked off. He rejoined the others, who were gathering to watch the sparing session between Wanda and Kara. He joined Barry and the other Avengers to watch just as Kara took off into the air, ready to begin.

Kara shot off some low level heat vision at Wanda, but Wanda waved her hands, which glowed with red energy. A shield of red energy appeared in front of her and blocked the two beams from hitting her. Wanda flicked her wrist and the beams were sent back at Kara. They hit Kara, who flew back a little, more out of surprise than actual pain. Wanda smiled innocently at Kara, who narrowed her eyes as she flew at Wanda.

Wanda moved her hands in a circular motion and Kara glowed red. Wanda moved her hands down and Kara slammed down into the ground, hard, leaving an imprint on the ground. Kara stood up but Kara quickly moved her hands and Kara glowed. She tried to move but was unable to as the stone around her began to lift up. Suddenly, Kara found herself trapped by stone as Wanda stopped, smiling.

“And you’re dead,” Clint said with a proud smile at Wanda.

“What are you taking about?” Kara demanded as she broke free, the stone shattering around her. “I’m not beat yet.”

“Yeah, you were,” Oliver disagreed.

“If this were a real fight, you’d have lost the moment Wanda got you on the ground and trapped you,” Barry explained. “If this were the real thing, then Wanda would have captured you at that point. And anyone with her could have either knocked you out or killed you. Wanda beat you Kara.” 

Kara has to concede as everyone else looked at Wanda, in awe of the power this young woman possessed.

“Dude, your girlfriend’s a badass,” Wally told Barry and he smirked.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Barry said proudly and Wanda smiled at him.

Cisco eyed Wanda, a look of deep concentration on his face. Then, he grinned.

“Got It! Scarlet Witch!” Cisco exclaimed and everyone looked at him in confusion. “Wanda’s new codename, Scarlet Witch. She’s got those powers-which are awesome, by the way- that make her look like a witch. And she’s got the whole red thing going on. Scarlet Witch.”

Wanda tilted her head to the side, a thoughtful look on his face as Oliver picked up his bow.

“Let’s go. We’ve got training to do,” Oliver ordered and Barry nodded in agreement.

“Wanda, come sit out with the others. We’ve got work to do,” Barry ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know not a whole lot happened here, but next chapter, we will have a lot more developments.
> 
> The reason it was Oliver that sent the message and not Barry will be explained later on in the story.
> 
> Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, but in a fight between Wanda and Kara, I don’t think Kara would win. In pure strength, Kara obviously wins, but a fight is more than pure strength. I don’t think Kara could land a hit on Wanda and eventually, Wanda would find an opening that would lead to Kara being captured. That’s just my opinion; you are all entitled to yours.


	37. A trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dominators kidnap the president and lead Barry and some members of the team into a trap.

Star Labs Hanger

Night

 

Some hours had passed with the majority of the team training against Kara. It was going well…for Kara, that is.  Kara stood on the ground as the others were on their knees, panting with exhaustion as Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Wanda watched.

 

“She’s very good,” Clint noted impressed.

 

“Eh, she relies on her powers too much,” Natasha shrugged. “Take away those powers and Kara is at a huge disadvantage.”

 

“You sure you want me to keep going?” Kara asked.

 

“Yes!” Oliver said as he and the others got to their feet. “Just give us five minutes. Please.”

 

“Barry,” Cisco walked over to Barry, holding something in his hand.

 

Seeing it, Barry paled as he realized Cisco had listened to the recording from future Oliver.

 

“This is really Oliver, from the future,” Cisco said and Barry nodded.

 

“Cisco, look-” Barry started.

 

“You told them, right?” Cisco demanded.

 

“I’m going to, but not right now. Cisco, we’re facing an alien invasion. This is gonna be the toughest threat we’ve ever faced. And on top of that, you wanna tell them I messed with the timeline, changed their lives? You have to see how bad that is,” Barry explained.

 

Cisco didn’t want to admit it, but Barry was right. Telling them would compromise the team’s trust in Barry in a time where it was needed the most. Still-

 

“They deserve to know,” Cisco pointed out and Barry nodded.

 

“They do,” Barry agreed. “I’ll tell them once this is all over. But for now, I need you to keep this quiet. I know you’re angry but if we were ever friends, I need you to do this for me. Please Cisco.”

 

Before Cisco could respond, Oliver suddenly spoke up.

 

“Guys, Lyla just texted me. The Dominators have the president,” Oliver said and was met with horrified looks as he looked up from his phone.

 

Barry didn’t react, simply stared at Cisco, waiting to see what he would do. After several seconds, Cisco finally nodded and pocketed the recording. Barry gave him a grateful nod before turning to the others.

 

“Do you have a location?” Barry asked Oliver, who nodded.

 

“Argus thinks they know where The Dominators have set up shop.”

 

“Okay,” Barry said after a moment of thought. “Steve, Oliver, Nat, Clint, Sara, and Laurel, you guys are with me. The rest of you, stay here.”

 

“The president’s been kidnapped, I think we should all go,” Kara argued and Thea, Wally, Jax, and Ray looked like they agreed.

 

“Which is what The Dominators will be expecting,” Barry argued. “They’ll be expecting a fight, but this isn’t a battle, this is a rescue mission. The president could get caught in the crossfire. We need to get in, get the president, and get out. Oliver and Steve are used to these kinds of missions, Sara’s a former assassin, Clint and Natasha are former spies, and Laurel…well, I honestly just don’t completely trust her and don’t plan on letting her out of my sight until I do.”

 

“That’s fair,” Laurel shrugged.

 

“We may not like it, but Barry’s got a point,” Sam said and several others nodded after a moment.

 

“Stay on comms, if we need you we’ll call you in for back up,” Barry ordered.       

 

Barry, Steve, Oliver, Clint, Natasha, Sara, and Laurel then turned and walk off as the others watched, wanting to go but, well, they had their orders.

 

Central City

Later

 

The group walked inside the seemingly abandoned building, looking around but seeing no Dominators insight.

 

“You sure this is the place Ollie?” Sara asked and Oliver nodded.

 

“Please!” The president suddenly ran out, his hands bound. “Get me out of here!”

 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Steve said, feeling like this was way too easy.

 

“You just had to say it, didn’t you Cap?” Clint asked as they saw a Dominator appear on the railing. “Never should have let you watch Star Wars.”

 

“Let the president go!” Oliver snarled as he, Clint, and Natasha aimed their weapons at the Dominator.

 

_“We knew you would come.”_

 

The Dominator’s mouth didn’t move, but the words were heard loud and clear. Only not throughout the room, but within the very minds of the team.

 

“Please tell me you guys heard that,” Clint pleaded.

 

“Yeah, we heard it,” Sara muttered.

 

“And I thought my life was crazy before. Kind of wishing you’d left me in the pipeline Red,” Laurel told Barry, who eyed the Dominator.

 

“You got what you want, we’re here. That’s what you wanted, right? You wanted us to come to you. Well it worked, so let the president go,” Barry told the Dominator.

 

The Dominator pulled out a strange looking weapon and a green beam shot out at the president. Using his speed, Barry sped over and tackled the president out of the way. But then, The Dominator activated a strange device and Barry let go of the president, dropping to his knees with the others as they all cried out in pain. The Dominator fired again and Barry could only watch as the beam hit the president, who disintegrated into green mist.

 

“I swear to god, I am gonna kill these ET bastards!” Clint howled in pain.

 

Then, they all stopped. It was quiet in the room as they all stood up with a rather chilling, expressionless, blank look on their faces and in their eyes.

 

Star Labs

Same time

 

Wanda sat on the track in the speed lab, deep in thought. She understood why Barry spent so much time in here; it was a great place to think. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and saw Iris. Wanda sighed internally; she was in no mood for this. From what Barry and Cisco told her, Iris had a tendency for ‘Queen Bee, high school bullshit’ was what Clint had called it. Wanda was unsure of what that meant, but knew her father figure well enough to know she probably didn’t have the patience for it.

 

“Can I help you Iris?” Wanda asked tiredly as she got to her feet.

 

“Yeah, you can get out of here once this is over,” Iris snapped and Wanda raised an eyebrow.

 

“Or what?” Wanda challenged. “What will do if I don’t?”

 

“This isn’t your earth. You don’t belong here,” Iris argued.

 

“You don’t seem to have a problem with HR being here,” Wanda pointed out.

 

“HR didn’t steal my boyfriend,” Iris hissed and Wanda rolled her eyes.

 

“I didn’t steal Barry. He asked me on a date, he kissed me. He told me he loved me, I didn’t make him do any of that, Wanda said calmly.

 

“Oh please. You’re just a distraction, once Barry remembers that he loves me, you’ll be old news,” Iris scoffed.

 

Wanda’s eyes flashed and her hands began to glow. However, thankfully for Iris and for the hormone filled Wanda, who was prevented from doing something she would later regret, the building seemed to shake. Wanda stopped, the glow fading from her hands as she and Iris looked around in confusion.

 

“What was that?” Iris asked confused.

 

“Guys, wherever you are, we need you,” Cisco’s voice came over the intercom.

 

Wanda rushed out of the room, Iris trailing behind her. They met up with the others. Everyone was staring at the holographic screen Cisco had up, which showed security footage from outside Star Labs. Laurel was screaming, using her powers on the building as everyone else waited.

 

“Oh man, this is not good,” Ray said pale.

 

“Why are their heads glowing?” Kara asked and they noticed Laurel, Clint, Sara and Natasha had a red-pink glow on their foreheads.

 

“The Dominators must be controlling them somehow,” Stein realized.

 

“Okay, I’ll see if I can figure out what’s causing the red-glow thingy. For now though, I need you guys to go out there and distract them,” Cisco ordered as he got to work.

 

Not long after, Sam, Wally, Mick, Ray, Firestorm, Ray, Wanda, Kara and Thea stepped out the front door to see their mind controlled friends waiting for them. Sara had out her batons as Natasha aimed her pistols at them and Oliver and Clint each had their bows trained on them. Barry, Steve, and Laurel simply stared them down with the expressionless, blank stare unnerving them.

 

“Guys, can’t we talk about this?” Ray pleaded.

 

In response, Sara threw some shurikens at them while Oliver, Clint, and Natasha fired at them. Wanda waved her hands and a shield of red energy appeared, blocking the weapons and making them fall to the ground.

 

“Doesn’t look like it,” Sam said grimly.

 

“Looks like we’re gonna have to fight,” Mick said as he aimed his Heat Gun.

 

“Just until Cisco can figure out a way to stop whatever The Dominators are doing to control them,” Kara added.

 

“So let’s fight,” Thea said as she aimed her bow.

 

Mick fired his Heat Gun but Barry raced over and knocked him off his feet. He tried to strike Mick but Wanda waved her hand. Barry flew back as Firestorm threw a fireball at Laurel but she screamed. Her Canary Cry met the fire blast in midair and caused an explosion of fire that forced to everyone to take cover.

 

As the smoke cleared, Ray felt an arrow hit him in the back of his armor and went down. He landed on the ground, hard, unable to move.

 

“A little held over here!” Ray shouted in alarm as she noticed Oliver stalking over to him.

 

Oliver held out his hand, stopping a red arrow inches from his shoulder. He threw it to the ground and looked over at Thea, who had another arrow notched ad aimed at him.

 

“Get away from him!” Thea snapped.

 

Oliver responded by whirling his bow and rushing at her.

 

Sam flew up into the sky, trying to avoid Clint’s arrows as Wanda created a shield, blocking Natasha’s bullets. As Kara flew up, Barry ran along the side of the building before he jumped off. He grabbed her cape and then pulled down. Kara yelped as she pulled down to the ground and Barry slammed her down onto the concrete. An indent made as she went through it. Kara stood up, shaking it off as she looked over at Barry.

 

“Barry, I don’t want to fight you. Please, don’t do this,” Kara pleaded.

 

Barry simply tilted his head to one side, as if thinking on it. Then he rushed at her.

 

Inside Star Labs, the others were watching the footage horrified as Laura walked in.

 

“What is going on out there? The kids are terrified,” Laura demanded.

 

“Barry, Oliver, Clint, Natasha, Steve, Laurel, and Sara went to go save the president but now they’re crazy and going all ‘Kill Bill’ on everyone. You do have Kill Bill on your earth, right?” Cisco asked and Laura shot him a look that brought the phase ‘if looks could kill’ to mind.

 

“The Dominators have them under some sort of mind control,” Caitlin explained.

 

“Well how do we break it?” Laura demanded.

 

“I’m trying to find the source of it. Once I do, I’ll tell you,” Cisco told her going back to work.

 

 Outside, Thea was thrown on her back, her bow glittering to the ground. Thea looked up as her brother aimed an arrow at her heart. Before he could fire, Wally sped in, tackling Oliver and pushing him away. Oliver was thrown on the ground, a few feet from them.

 

“Thank Wally,” Thea said as she got to her feet.

 

“Kid Flash,” Wally corrected with a grin.

 

Oliver stood up and fired an arrow at Wally. Wally caught it but it exploded, sending him back. 

 

Up in the air, an arrow hit Sam’s wing and exploded. Sam crashed onto the ground where someone approached. Sam looked up just in time to see Steve punch him hard enough to knock him out.

 

Firestorm avoided Laurel’s Canary Cry but was nicked in the shoulder by a shuriken from Sara.

 

“Please tell me you have a source for this?” Thea pleaded as she barely fended off her brother’s strikes.

 

“We won’t last much longer,” Wanna agreed as she waved her hand and Natasha was sent flying back.

 

“Yahtzee! There’s a weird signal coming from the Slat Mine,” Cisco told them.

 

“Can you jam it?” Kara grunted, in a clash with Barry as he tried to push her back but she wouldn’t budge.

 

“No, sorry,” Cisco said in frustration.

 

“Okay, then we need to destroy the source. I can do it, but I’ll need someone to handle Barry,” Kara said as she pushed Barry but he slid away only a few feet, his feet planted firmly in the ground.

 

“Wanda, think you can handle your boyfriend?” Cisco asked.

 

“I can if Mick can cover me,” Wanda said and the afore mentioned man laughed heartedly.

 

“I got your back Scarlet,” Mick said, clicking his Heat Gun.

 

The plan made, Kara flew up into the air. Barry moved to follow her but was suddenly covered in red energy and thrown back. Barry got to his feet and saw Wanda make her way over, her hands glowing.

 

Seeing this, Clint aimed his bow at Wanda but, before he could fire, an orange blast hit near him and he had to jump back to avoid the flames.

 

“I don’t think so Robin Hood,” Mick said, smirking at him.      

 

Wanda threw a blast of energy at Barry, which knocked him off his feet. Wanda then held up her hand, blocking the bullets that can at her from Natasha. Wanda then made a circular motion with her hand and Natasha went flying into the side of the building. She went down to the ground, out cold. Wanda then brought up her hands and Barry feet began sinking into the ground. Barry vibrated then and he jumped out, rushing at Wanda as she sent another wave of energy at him.

 

Oliver and Thea continued to trade blows with their bows as Firestorm brought down a ball of fire, which landed at the feet of the Lance sisters. The pair were sent flying back, landing on the ground, hard. But they got right back up again and Laurel sent another Canary Cry at him, which he just barely dodged.

 

“Skirt better hurry up, we can’t keep this up!” Mick snapped as he used his Heat Gun to fend off Clint and Steve.

 

Central City

Same time

 

Kara burst into the building and, seeing the device that was most likely the cause of half her friends turning evil, she flew down towards it at fight speed. With a power punch, she hit it and it was destroyed with a wave of red energy.

 

Star Labs

Same time

 

Barry had Wanda in his grasp, holding her above the ground with one hand with the other vibrated close to her heart. However, before he could do anything, he looked away, completely disoriented before he looked back up and Wanda could tell he was Barry again.

 

“Wanda?” Barry asked until he saw what he was doing. “Oh my god.”

 

He stopped vibrating his hand and let her go, helping her down to the ground.

 

“God I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you, are you alright?” Barry asked panicking.

 

“I’m fine, we both are,” Wanda said as she put a hand on one side of his face. “It’s alright Barry. It wasn’t you.”

 

Oliver knocked Thea to the ground but, before he could do anything, he stumbled back, blinking a little disoriented. Nearby, the red glow faded from Laurel and Sara’s foreheads as the sisters blinked, confused.

 

“Speedy?” Olive asked as she got up.

 

“It’s alright everyone. They’re back. Kara did it,” Thea said in relief.

 

“What is going on?” Laurel asked confused.

 

Clint and Steve looked around at the fire before them as Mick lowered his gun.

 

“Good to have you back,” Mick said and Clint, realizing what had happened, growled.

 

“Change of plans Cap. I’m not kill them, I’m gonna murder them. Slowly and painfully,” Clint said enraged at having been controlled again.

 

Later, everyone but Supergirl stood outside Star Labs as Barry raced up.

 

“Supergirl’s scanning the city to make sure there aren’t any more of the orbs that whammied us,” Barry explained as he looked around at all them. “Look, I’m sorry. This was my call and it was wrong.”

 

“No man, you made the right call,” Sam quickly assured him.

 

“You were right, The Dominators wanted us all to come,” Steve pointed out.

 

“If we’d all gone, it could have ended a lot worse,” Oliver added.

 

“Look man, we’re with you. Whatever you want us to do, we got your back,” Jax said and Barry nodded in gratitude.

 

“So now what?” Sara asked.

 

“Oliver, call Lyla. Tell her these Dominators aren’t here for peace,” Barry ordered and Oliver nodded.

 

They began moving to head inside when, suddenly, out of nowhere, a yellow beam came down and struck Natasha, surrounding her. When it vanished, it took her with it.

 

“Nat!” Steve and Clint exclaimed in horror.

 

Suddenly, two more beams came down, striking and taking Clint and Sam.

 

“Everybody inside, go!” Barry exclaimed, grabbing Wanda and speeding inside.

 

As the others moved, Barry looked back and saw Steve get him with the beam. Barry sped over to try and get Steve but it was too late. The beam -and Steve- vanished leaving Barry staring at the sky, wondering where The Dominators had taken his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only reason Cisco outed Barry in canon was because Cisco couldn’t control his anger at Barry. Here, he and Barry are in a better lace, so that didn’t happen. But Flashpoint will come out later on.
> 
> I hope the fight scenes were okay.
> 
> I’ve done the Invasion thing with Oliver twice now, so since this is a Flash/Avengers story, I decided to have a little more fun with it here.


	38. A different life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers wake up in the lives they've always wanted but begin to feel that not all is as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn’t a long chapter, but next one will be, I promise.

Dream world, Washington DC

Morning

 

After going for his usual morning run, Steve returned back home to his apartment. Closing the door behind him, Steve put his keys on the rack as his girlfriend walked over to him.

 

“Did you enjoy your run?” She asked him.

 

“It was okay. Feel like I could use a shower,” Steve mentioned and his girlfriend wrinkled her nose as she got a whiff of him.

 

“Yeah, you really do. Maybe I’ll join you in the shower,” she called after him, her voice half teasing half, seductive and Steve laughed.

 

“Peggy, you’re going to be the death of me.”

 

Star Labs

Night

 

“Where are we with finding our friends?” Barry asked as he walked up to Cisco and Caitlin at the computers.

 

“Nothing on the Star City satellite so far. Felicity has every traffic cam from here to Star City searching for them,” Cisco explained and Barry nodded.

 

“Kara is searching the rest of the world but so far no luck,” Barry said and Cisco nodded.

 

“Okay, I need to Vibe something,” Cisco said as he got to his feet.

 

“Okay, what’s a Vibe?” Ray inquired.

 

“I’m a Meta,” Cisco revealed to Ray’s shock. “When I touch something, not only can I see the past, I can see the future. But more importantly, I can see where people are."

 

“Would something personal help?” Laura inquired and Cisco nodded.

 

“The more personal, the better,” Cisco said and Laura pulled something out of her pocket.

 

“This is Clint’s wedding ring, he never takes it into battle,” Laura said as she handed it to him.

 

As he took the ring, Cisco got a Vibe.

 

_Cisco’s vibe_

_Cisco found himself on the coolest/creepiest ship he had ever seen. In front of him were Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Sam, who were each in some kind of pod._

_End Vibe_

“Cisco, you okay?” Barry asked as Cisco came out of it.

 

“Yeah. I saw them, they’re in some kind of stasis," Cisco said after a moment, handing the ring back to Laura. "They’re on a ship. Little Alien, little Star Trek, J.J. Abrams style, and a whole lot of tech."

 

“Tech, like the same kind I pulled from the Dominator ship that crashed here last night?” Barry asked and Cisco nodded.

 

“What are you thinking Barry?” Oliver asked as Barry turned away, clearly deep in thought.

 

“Sara, do you think you have anything on the Waveridder that can read the information on The Dominator tech?” Barry asked as he turned to look at the blond.

 

“Gideon might be able to read it,” Sara said after a moment and Barry nodded.

 

“I’ll take Cisco up to the Waveridder and we’ll give Gideon the tech,” Ray volunteered and Cisco cheered as Barry nodded.

 

“Okay. While you’re doing that, Cait, I need your help with something,” Barry said as he turned to Caitlin.

 

Curious, Caitlin nodded as she stood up. Barry led her out of the cortex and into the med-bay, where Wanda was waiting.

 

“Could you check the baby, make sure everything’s alright?” Barry said his fear clear in his eyes.

 

“Of course, you don’t need to ask Barry,” Caitlin said, her smile kind and understanding as she had Wanda lay back on the med table.

 

Dream world, Steve’s apartment

Afternoon

 

“Okay, see you later Buck,” Steve said as he hung up his cell phone as Peggy walked in.

 

“Heading out for a night on the town with Barnes?” Peggy raised an eyebrow.

 

“Just heading out for some drinks to celebrate Bucky’s promotion,” Steve told her and she raised an eyebrow. “What?”

 

“We both know nothing is ever simple with Barnes. Just don’t let him get you into trouble,” Peggy warned.

 

“No promises there,” Steve joked and Peggy rolled her eyes but still pulled him in for a kiss.

 

Bucky’s apartment, dream world

Same time

 

Bucky hung up his cell phone when he felt two arms wrap around him from behind.

 

“You know, you’re going to have to introduce me to this friend of yours at some point,” Natasha said and Bucky smirked.

 

“Maybe I just like having you all to myself,” Bucky joked and Natasha raised an eyebrow.

 

“Ashamed of me, are we?” Natasha asked and Bucky’s smirk faded as he looked at her seriously.

 

“Never,” Bucky promised as he took her face in his hands. “It’s just…I haven’t even told Steve I’m seeing someone. Now I’m telling him I’m seeing someone and I’m having a kid with her? That’s some big news Natasha. I’m gonna tell him tonight. I promise.”

 

Natasha smiled and Bucky leaned don and kissed her. As he did, Natasha’s mind flashed somewhere else.

 

_Meeting Bucky, then The Winter soldier, in The Red Room._

_Bucky training her._

_Stolen kisses._

_Nights spent together in secret._

“You okay?” Bucky asked as he pulled back, noticing the look on her face.

 

“Fine,” Natasha lied, wondering what that was.

 

Dream world, bar

Night

 

“To Master Sergeant Barnes,” Steve toasted and Bucky chuckled but raised his class.

 

“To me,” Bucky said and they each took a drink.

 

“How long has it been since we’ve done this?” Steve wondered as they lowered their glasses to the table.

 

“Too long. You ever think about getting back in?” Bucky inquired and Steve sighed.

 

“I was dishonorably discharged Buck,” Steve reminded him.

 

“You disobeyed orders and saved our whole unit. With a good lawyer-”

 

“Buck, enough,” Steve said firmly, cutting his best friend off. “My time in the army is done. And I’m happy here. Now, this night is supposed to be about you, not me.”

 

“Okay,” Bucky relented. “Well, if this night is about me, I have something I need to tell you.”

 

Steve raised an eyebrow as he waited. Bucky opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, a loud bang echoed through the bar. Steve and Bucky whirled around in their seats to see what was going on.

 

A man in a ski mask had burst in, shot off a gun into the air. He held the gun to the shaking bartender’s head.

 

“Nobody be a hero and everyone gets out alive!” The man shouted, handing the terrified bartender a bag, which promptly began to be filled with the cash from the register.

 

Steve looked over at Bucky, who nodded. Without words, they made their move. Bucky grabbed his butter knife and threw it across the room. It hit the man’s gun and he promptly dropped it. Steve jumped out of his chair and quickly made his way over, tackling the man to the ground they rolled on the floor before the sound of several guns clicking was heard throughout the room. Steve looked up to see several of the ‘patrons’ had stood up and pulled out guns, all aimed at him.

 

“Did you really think I’d come in here without backup?” The man in the ski mask asked smugly.

 

Bucky made a motion to stand up but Steve shook his head discretely, telling him that was not the play. Steve slowly stood up, his hands in the air. Before any of the men with guns could fire, a black man around stood up and walked over to one of the men, who looked at him as though as he was insane. Steve thought the man might be.

 

“You’re outnumbered,” The man told Steve.

 

“Yeah. You should probably sit down,” Steve warned the man, who nodded.

 

“Probably should. But army regulations: You never let a brother go into battle alone,” The man reminded him.

 

The man suddenly whirled around, taking everyone by surprise when he slugged one of the men hard. As the gunman went down, Bucky picked up a chair and hit one of the men hard in the head with it, knocking him out. Steve made his move, grabbing two of the gunmen and pashing their heads together, knocking them out.

 

Soon, it became an all-out brawl. Steve, Bucky, and the black man fighting back to back against the would be robbers. Steve pushed back, landing a solid punch on one of them. As he went down, Steve looked up to see one of the gunmen aiming at the black man with a gun.

 

“Behind you, on your left!” Steve shouted in warning.

 

As the black man turned around and slugged the man, Steve was suddenly taken to another place in his mind.

 

_“On your left,” Steve told Sam as he passed him on their jog._

For his distraction, Steve got hit in the head by one of the men. Bucky tackled the man and slammed his head down on a table hard enough to knock him out. As he let the man go, the black man slugged the last one and they stood victorious as the stunned patrons watched.

 

“You alright?” the unknown man said as he offered a hand to Steve on the floor, who accepted it.

 

“Thanks,” Steve said as the man helped him up.

 

“I’m Sam Wilson,” Sam introduced himself as they dropped hands.

 

“Steve Rogers. This is my friend Bucky Barnes,” Steve said, gesturing to Bucky before holding out his hand to Sam. “Thanks for your help.”

 

“Glad I could help,” Sam said as he took Steve’s hand in a firm handshake.

 

“Steve, you okay? You took a hard hit to the head,” Bucky asked in concern.

 

“Fine,” Steve assured him.

 

“I saw what happened. You just stood there while he hit you. Why, what happened?” Sam asked and Steve was silent.

 

“I don’t know,” Steve finally said honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, when you think about it, no one needed to go to star City to read the tech. I mean, they have a time ship full of future technology and no one thinks to use it. But, the Waveridder was criminally underused in Invasion.
> 
> Natasha being pregnant probably requires an explanation. From Age of Ultron, we know Natasha is incapable of having children due to the procedure performed on her in The Red Room. We also know, from her conversation with Bruce in the Barton House, Natasha considers herself a monster for this reason. So this takes that away.


	39. Figuring out the trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers begin to figure out what is happening around them as Barry gets advice about fatherhood.

Dream world, bar

Night

 

The police had arrived and while most of the cops were rounding up the would be robbers, Steve, Bucky, and Sam were giving their statements to a detective. Peggy walked in and made her way over to the foursome.

 

“I knew he’d drag you into trouble,” Peggy said, hugging Steve as she shot Bucky a disapproving look.

 

“Hey, I had nothing to do with this. Steve made the first move,” Bucky protested.

 

“He’s right. From all the witness statements, you were quite a hero Mr. Rogers,” The detective told him and Steve’s mind was taken somewhere else.

 

_Emerging from the chamber surrounded by the scientists and Peggy._

_Leading the Howling Commandos into battle against Hydra._

_Watching helplessly as Bucky fell to his supposed death._

_His and Peggy’s first and only kiss._

_Crashing the plane into the ice._

“Steve, are you okay?” Peggy asked concerned as Steve seemed to zone out.

 

“Yeah, fine,” Steve lied, wondering what was going on with him.

 

“Well, we’re done here,” the detective said as he handed Steve a card. “If you ever need anything, ask for Detective Clint Barton.”

 

Clint walked off and Steve stared after him, wondering why that name rung such a bell. He noticed Sam also staring after him with an odd look on his face.

 

Star Labs

Night

 

“Mom and baby are fine,” Caitlin assured Barry as Wanda put her shirt back on.

 

“Thank god,” Barry said relieved.

 

“It wasn’t your fault Barry. You were being controlled,” Wanda told him.

 

“But-” Barry began.

 

“Wasn’t it you who told me that Killer Frost wasn’t me? Well, what you did under the Dominators’ control wasn’t you,” Caitlin said and Barry nodded reluctantly.

 

“Okay,” Barry said, not sure he believed it.

 

“Mom and baby are fine I take it?” the trio looked over to see Laura lingering in the doorway.

 

“How-” Barry began.

 

“You were acting as protective of Wanda as Clint did of me. It’s obvious if you know what to look for. Congratulations honey,” Laura said as she walked over to Wanda and hugged the stunned young woman.

 

“Thank you,” Wanda said as Laura let go.

 

“Who else knows?” Laura asked curiously.

 

“Steve,” Barry said and Laura frowned.

 

“You haven’t told anyone else?”

 

“Barry is afraid of how your husband will react,” Caitlin said and Barry flushed.

 

“Not unwarranted. I’d tell him from across town,” Laura joked.

 

“How about from China?” Barry asked seriously and Laura laughed.

 

“Relax kid. He’ll probably be upset at first but he won’t do anything to hurt you. He likes you too much and knows Wanda will never let it go if he does,” Laura only joked at that last part but Barry felt immensely better.

 

“I’m gonna get him back Laura. I’m gonna get them all back,” Barry promised and Laura smiled.

 

“I know you will.”

 

Laurel was in the pipeline, staring at what had once been her cell. Or rather, the empty space where the cells had once been. Barry had made good on his promise, the cells had been removed and given to Argus for deconstructing. She felt Sara walk up behind her and waited for the other blond to say something.

 

“Are you anything like my Laurel?” Sara finally asked.

 

“I don’t know. From the sounds of it, your Laurel was someone who was compassionate, who saw the best in people, who would fight for her home. And I think I lost that part of me a long time ago,” Laurel confessed.

 

“Maybe not,” Sara said and Laurel finally turned around to face her with a raised eyebrow. “Maybe it’s just buried deep. After all, if you lost that part of you…why are you here?”

 

“I don’t know,” Laurel said and it was silent.

 

Dream world, police station

Night

 

“Allen, you got those forensics yet?” Clint asked as he walked into the lab.

 

“Working on it Clint, but it’s gonna take some time,” Barry said and Clint sighed.

 

“Just get it done and bring it to my desk,” Clint said tiredly as he walked over of the lab.

 

As he did, he bumped into someone carrying some files and they dropped them. Clint immediately knelt down and began picking them up.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Clint apologized.

 

“Didn’t see that coming old man?” Pietro Maximoff smirked and Clint’s mind was taken somewhere else.

 

_Seeing Pietro the first time after he’d knocked Clint down._

_Pietro speeding off with Wanda in his arms after sending Clint crashing through the window._

_Pietro crashing on the floor after Clint broke the glass he was standing on._

_Pietro and Barry laying on the ground unconscious after Ultron had shot them._

“You okay old man?” Pietro asked in concern as Clint seemed to zone out.

 

“Fine,” Clint lied as he stood up and handed Pietro the files, wondering what that was.

 

Dream world, Steve’s apartment

Same time

 

“So you’re military?” Bucky asked Sam as the four of them had headed back to Steve and Peggy’s apartment.

 

“Air Force. My partner Riley and I are on leave. Good thing for you two huh?” Sam joked and everyone laughed.

 

“I can’t thank you enough. You probably saved my life,” Steve said gratefully.

 

“Oh, I definitely saved your life,” Sam joked before becoming serious. “It was no big deal. Soldiers look out for each other, right?”

 

“Well, if you want, Tony Stark is throwing a party tomorrow at his house to celebrate his company’s new weapon and getting another step closer to ending the war. Tell Happy, the guy letting everyone in, that Bucky and Steve invited you. He’ll hook you up,” Bucky said.

 

“Thanks for the invite, but not really my scene. I better get going,” Sam said as he got to his feet, followed by everyone else.

 

“Thank you for your help Mr. Wilson,” Peggy said gratefully but Sam waved her off.

 

“It was no big. I was happy to help,” Sam said.

 

They walked Sam out, opening the door. However, they were surprised to see a redhead standing on the other side. Steve and Peggy were even more surprised when the redhead walked passed them and pulled Bucky into a tight hug.

 

“Thank god you’re alright. What the hell were you thinking?” Natasha said as she pulled back, lightly hitting Bucky across the shoulder.

 

“Um, Buck?” Steve asked confused.

 

“Steve, Peggy, meet Natasha Romanoff. My girlfriend,” Bucky introduced to their shock.

 

“Wow, you actually found a woman who will put up with you,” Peggy joked and Bucky rolled his eyes.

 

“That hurts Pegs. Right here,” Bucky said mockingly, holding a hand over his heart.

 

“Have we met before?” Steve suddenly asked as he eyed Natasha with an odd look on his face.

 

Suddenly, both Steve and Natasha’s minds were assaulted with memories neither of them could recall.

 

_Natasha walking up to Steve and Bruce Banner._

_Fighting alongside each other in New York._

_Various missions together with Shield._

_Natasha’s multiple attempts to set Steve up on a date._

_Steve assuring her he would trust her to save his life._

_Natasha kissing his cheek at Fury’s grave._

“I think I’d remember,” Natasha said, a brilliant poker face on as they came out of it.

 

“Sorry, you just look really familiar. Must be thinking of someone else,” Steve said and Natasha nodded.

 

“Well, nice meeting you all, but I’ve got to get going,” Sam spoke up and they looked over at him. “I’ll see you around.”

 

They all said goodbye to Sam and he closed the door behind him. Steve looked over at Natasha again and got a glimpse out the window behind her. He saw a building he didn’t remember seeing before. It was huge skyscraper, twice the length of the apartment complex, and had a giant A logo on the front. But he blinked and it was gone.

 

Star Labs

Night

 

Barry was making his way down the hall when Iris walked up to him.

 

“Barry, I need to talk to you,” Iris said.

 

“Is it about finding my friends? Because right now, that is all I’m interested in,” Barry said shortly.

 

“That’s the problem,” Iris said and Barry stopped, turning to her incredulously. “We’re dealing with an alien invasion. I know you care about your….friends, but shouldn’t you prioritize? I mean, what are four people compared to the rest of the world?”

 

“Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you? For me to just forget about them,” Barry snarled and Iris took a step back unconsciously. “You’ve made it clear you don’t like them. Well, I don’t give a damn what you think right now Iris. They took me in, gave me a home when I was lost and alone in this strange world I didn’t understand. They are my family as much as you, Wally, and Joe. I’m not just gonna forget about them just because you can’t accept that things are over between us. Get on board or get out of the way.”

 

Barry then turned and stormed off, leaving the stunned Iris in the hallway.

 

“You okay?” Oliver asked as Barry entered the cortex.

 

“Just worried,” Barry said and Oliver nodded.

 

“Yeah, how’s Wanda?” Oliver asked and Barry sighed.

 

“Worried as hell,” Barry admitted.

 

“She needs to relax. It’s not good for her. Or the baby,” Oliver said and Barry shot him a sharp look.

 

“How did you know?!” Barry exclaimed and Oliver laughed.

 

“Barry, you’re acting exactly like John did when Lyla was pregnant. I’m not an idiot,” Oliver said and Barry nodded slowly.

 

“Yeah, you’re not,” Barry said and Oliver leaned against the wall.

 

“So, how does it feel?” Oliver asked.

 

“Terrifying,” Barry admitted. “Does it make me a coward to say I’m afraid of being a father?”

 

“No, it doesn’t. It makes you just like every other parent on the planet. You should have seen me when Samantha told me she was pregnant,” Oliver joked and Barry laughed. “You’re gonna be a great father Barry.”

 

“How do you know?” Barry asked softly.

 

“Because you’re one of the best guys I know. And you had some great examples in the way of fatherhood,” Oliver said and Barry ran a hand over his face.

 

“God, I haven’t even decided what happens next, if I stay here or what. And I don’t even know what Wanda wants,” Barry confessed.

 

“You two will figure it out. You have months to plan this Barry. You don’t have to decide right now,” Oliver told him and Barry nodded slowly.

 

Dream world, Tony’s house, next day

Afternoon

 

“You sure?” Tony asked as he held a glass of Champaign out to Steve.

 

“Someone needs to be the designated driver,” Steve pointed out.

 

“I can call you a cab. Or better yet, a limo,” Tony offered.

 

“Thanks Tony, but no,” Steve refused and Tony shrugged.

 

“Suit yourself Cap,” Tony said as he spotted Peggy and Natasha, laughing at some joke. “Who’s the redhead with Peggy?”

 

“That’s Natasha, Bucky’s girlfriend,” Steve explained and Tony blinked.

 

“Huh, who knew Barnes could get a girlfriend,” Tony joked as Bucky walked over.

 

“Ha ha, very funny,” Bucky said sarcastically.

 

“My job. But your girlfriend hasn’t had a drink all night. She a lightweight?” Tony asked.

 

“No, she can’t drink,” Bucky said.

 

“She an alcoholic?” Tony asked, looking down at his drink guiltily.

 

“No, she just can’t drink for another six or seven months,” Bucky explained and it took the other two men a moment to understand what Bucky was saying.

 

“She’s pregnant?” Tony asked surprised and Bucky grinned.

 

“Congratulations Buck,” Steve said as the two shared a man hug.

 

“Thanks,” Bucky said beaming as they let go.

 

“You sure it’s yours?” Tony joked and Bucky playfully shoved his shoulder as the three men laughed.

 

“Steve?” the three men turned around to see Sam approaching them through the crowd of people.

 

“Um, who is this?” Tony asked, eying the unknown man.

 

“This is Sam, we told you about him,” Bucky said and Tony snapped his fingers as he remembered.

 

“Right, the guy from the bar fight. I thought you said he wasn’t coming?” Tony said confused.

 

“I wasn’t, but I need to talk to Steve. Somewhere a little more private,” Sam said and Steve nodded.

 

“Tell Peggy I’ll be right back,” Steve told Tony and Bucky before he walked off with Sam.

 

Steve and Sam exited the house, roaming the outside.

 

“Have you been seeing a building in the city lately? One that feels like it shouldn’t be there?” Sam asked and Steve looked at him sharply.

 

“A skyscraper with an A logo on the front,” Steve said and Sam nodded.

 

“Yeah, it feels…”

 

“Wrong,” Steve supplied and Sam nodded.

 

“Something’s going on here. This morning, I caught a coffee with Riley and I had this…it felt a memory, but not one I remember. We were doing this mission and I saw him get shot down. There was no way he could have survived it,” Sam said shaken by the memory.

 

“I’ve been getting these…memory flashes to,” Steve told him and Sam looked relieved.

 

“I had another one on the way here. I tried to draw it, never been much of an artist, but here’s what I came up with,” Sam said as he pulled out a piece of paper with a rather cartoonish drawing of one of The Dominators. “What’s going on Steve?”

 

“I don’t know…but I don’t think any of this real,” Steve finally admitted and Sam looked at him incredulously. “We’re real, but all this…it’s an illusion I think.”

 

“Someone or something is messing with us but it’s not fully working,” Sam said and Steve nodded.

 

“Whatever we do next, it’s gonna fight back,” Steve warned him.

 

“Like how?” Sam asked.

 

Steve opened his mouth but looked over his shoulder and stiffened. Sam followed his gaze and saw Brock Rumlow, his face perfectly free of burns, stalk into view with a smirk on his face as he aimed a pistol at them.

 

“You had to ask,” Steve told Sam dryly.

 

Rumlow opened fire on them but they dodged it as Rumlow approached. Sam tried to strike Rumlow but Rumlow kicked him in the abdomen and slugged him hard enough to send him to the ground.

 

“I just want you to know,” Rumlow said as he took aim at Steve. “This isn’t personal.”

 

Rumlow opened fire but Steve manage to dodge it. Steve rushed him and managed to knock the gun out of his hand and tackle Rumlow to the ground.

 

“It feels personal,” Steve grunted as they wrestled on the ground.

 

Rumlow manage to get Steve in a neck lock but, before he could do anything, there was a gunshot. Rumlow’s brains splattered everywhere as his body let Steve go and fell to the ground. Steve and Sam looked up to see Clint lowering a gun.

 

“Thanks,” Steve said as the pair got up.

 

“I guess I just don’t miss. Now, would you two like to explain what’s going on here?” Clint demanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was going to do the rest of the part two, but this felt like a good stopping point. 
> 
> Clint being a cop probably requires an explanation. Being a cop is, in this world, a metaphor for being an Avenger. Because, while Clint seems to have it all at first glance, there’s actually an interesting conflict going on inside of Clint when you look a little deeper. Clint loves being an Avenger, loves being part of the team, but loves his family more. He hates the toll him being an avenger takes on his family, so The dominators put him in a world where him being an Avenger doesn’t take that toll.


	40. Escaping perfection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Avengers prepare to escape from the dream world, Cisco and The Legends attempt to locate them.

Dream World, outside Tony’s house

Late afternoon

 

“It’s…complicated,” Steve said as he and Sam exchanged a look.

 

“Well uncomplicate it. I was at work and got a flash of memories I don’t remember having of my coworker and then I went home and remembered a conversation with my wife I never had. And you know what? I have a feeling you two know what’s going on. So you guys wanna start explaining?” Clint demanded.

 

“The short version is we think we’re in some sort of shared hallucination,” Sam said and Clint looked at him like he had suggested Clint take up water polo.

 

“That’s crazy,” Clint told him.

 

“Clint,” Steve said and Clint looked over at him. “What’s the last thing you remember before yesterday? I need you to think.”

 

Clint sighed but started to think. Suddenly, images came back to him: screaming in pain as The Dominators activated their device, firing arrows at Sam, being taken by that yellow beam.

 

“Clint?” Steve asked as he saw the look on Clint’s face.

 

“We’ve been abducted by aliens,” Clint said in disbelief. “God, did those words just come out of my mouth?”

 

“Was anyone else with us?” Sam asked.

 

“Natasha,” Clint said after a moment of thought. “Okay, if this is all some sort of illusion, how do we get out of here?”

 

“The giant skyscraper with the A logo,” Sam said and Steve looked over at him. “Maybe the reason it feels so weird is because that’s our ticket home.”

 

“Wherever the hell ‘here’ is,” Clint muttered.

 

Star Labs

Night

 

Barry was in the cortex, going over the computer when Joe walked up behind him.

 

“Can I help you Joe?” Barry asked when Joe didn’t say anything.

 

“I’m…concerned. Iris told me you two had it out,” Joe began.

 

“And her version will be unbiased, I’m sure,” Barry said dryly.

 

“She said you were only concerned with finding your new friends,” Joe said and Barry shrugged.

 

“Well, that part’s true. She wanted me to forget about saving them, to focus on The Dominators, and I just can’t do that Joe,” Barry told him and Joe was silent for several moments.

 

“Barry, I’ve just been so relieved to have you back…but the truth is, some of your decisions lately…they worry me,” Joe said and Barry finally turned around to face his father. “You ended things with Iris, which I understand. You dismantled your prison, which I am more than okay with. But you released that psychopath and handed her over to that…madman.”

 

“Oliver’s not a madman Joe,” Barry snapped.

 

“He’s killed people,” Joe pointed out.

 

“Only when necessary,” Barry snapped.

 

“Barry, he’s a serial killer!” Joe snapped.

 

“Did you research any of The Hood’s activities? Because I did,” Barry told him and continued without waiting for a response. “Oliver always gave the people he was going after a chance to right their wrongs. And if they did, he didn’t bother going after them after the warning. In seven months, Oliver killed less than fifty people, excluding Malcolm Merlyn. Hardly sounds like a serial killer, does it?”

 

“What happened to you on that other earth Bar?” Joe asked as he stared at his son in concern.

 

“I grew up,” Barry said bluntly. “I learned that the world is not black and white. It’s full of grey. Joe, Iris and Wally get a lot of good things from you, so do I, but one of your less appealing qualities is that you think like a cop: Something is either right or wrong and you won’t change your mind about it. I’m not Oliver Joe, but I’m also not you. I love and respect you, but I have to do things my own way. I have to be my own man.”

 

Waveridder

Same time

 

“This ship is everything,” Cisco said in awe as Ray led him down the hall.

 

“I’ll show you around. You know, later, when we’re not being invaded by aliens,” Ray told him as they reached the cockpit, where a Caucasian man with dark hair and a dark skinned woman with dark hair were waiting.

 

“Hey Ray,” The man said and Ray nodded.

 

“Cisco, this is Nate Heywood and Amaya Jiwe. Guys, this is Cisco Ramon of Star Labs,” Ray introduced.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Nate said as he held out his hand, which Cisco shook.

 

“You to. We need to find The Avengers,” Cisco said as he pulled out the piece of Dominator tech from the ship Barry had gotten. “Do you have anything that can read the data from this?”

 

“I think we’ve got something,” Nate nodded.

 

Dream world, Tony’s house

Night

 

Steve and Clint reentered Tony’s house and split up, looking for Natasha. Clint made his way through the crowd of people, looking for his best friend. He found her, laughing with some woman he vaguely recognized as Peggy Carter.

 

“Nat, I need to talk to you,” Clint said as he walked up to the two women.

 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Natasha asked as she looked at him, a nagging voice in the back of her mind that sounded a lot like Steve telling her to listen to him.

 

“This is Detective Barton, he’s the one who was at the bar last night,” Peggy explained to her.

 

“Yes, and I really need to talk to you for a moment,” Clint said urgently.

 

With a shrug at Peggy, Natasha followed Clint a little away to a more private area of the party.

 

“Can I help you Detective?” Natasha asked.

 

“Nat, it’s me. It’s Clint,” Clint tried to reach her.

 

“Okay,” Natasha said confused and Clint sighed.

 

“Wake up Nat, none of this is real. We’ve been abducted by aliens and put in some simulation and yes I know how crazy that sounds. Just think Natasha, please,” Clint pleaded and Natasha’s mind was suddenly flooded with memories.

 

_Her time in the Red Room, shooting target practice._

_Being wheeled down the hall for her procedure._

_Being recruited by Clint._

“My god,” Natasha said putting a hand to her head as the truth crashed down around her.

 

Steve was looking for Natasha when he ran into Tony.

 

“Hey, Sam find what he was looking for?” Tony asked and Steve nodded tersely.

 

“Yeah,” Steve said before looking Tony in the eye. “Tony…I know we don’t always see eye to eye, but I hope you know…I’ve always respected you. I know you just try to do what you think is right, which is all any of us can do.”

 

“You okay Cap?” Tony asked a little concerned and Steve flashed a tight smile.

 

“Yeah. I’ll see you around Tony,” Steve said before walking off.

 

Steve quickly found Clint and Natasha and made his way over.

 

“Nat, we need to go,” Steve told her.

 

“She’s not coming,” Clint said tiredly and Steve started. “She knows and she’s not coming.”

 

“Why would you want to?” Natasha demanded.

 

“None of this is real Nat,” Clint told her.

 

“It’s real enough,” Natasha said defensively.

 

Steve stared at Natasha with understanding. Now that Bucky had told him of her pregnancy, he understood why Natasha would not want to believe this wasn’t real. But he knew she would not want this information divulged.

 

“Clint, could you give us a moment?” Steve asked. “Go wait outside with Sam.”

 

Clint shot one last look at Natasha before nodding and walking off, disappearing into the crowd.

 

“We can’t stay here Nat,” Steve told her gently.

 

“Why not? What is waiting for us out there? We’re outlaws on our own earth, The Avengers are broken up. Why should we go when we made all our sacrifices for nothing?” Natasha said her voice filled with a surprising amount of emotion and vulnerability.

 

“Because we have responsibilities. We didn’t make the sacrifices we made to get a reward or for glory. I understand Nat, Bucky told me,” Steve said and Natasha’s hands unconsciously dropped to her stomach. “I know how much it hurts, but it’s not real. I want this to, I want Peggy, I want Bucky, but they’re not real. Seeing all this, it’s shown me that my job isn’t done. The price of freedom is high, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay. If you aren’t, so be it. But I think you are. I’m begging you, as both an Avenger and a friend, to come with me.”

 

Outside, Sam and Clint looked up as it began to storm. It was beginning to rain as Steve and Natasha made their way outside, Natasha’s perfect mask back in place, no sign of the emotion and vulnerability that were previously on her face.

 

“Good to see you Nat,” Clint said and she only gave a tense nod.

 

“So, we head to Avengers Tower, and we get out of here?” Natasha asked.

 

“That’s the plan. And we need to do it fast; The Dominators would have built in safeguards. Probably manifestations of our memories,” Steve told them.

 

Suddenly, Natasha reached out and caught a knife, stopping it inches from Steve’s face. She lowered it to her side as they lined up, seeing the four emerging figures. A second Natasha, dressed in a black jumpsuit, whirled two knives. Bucky, dressed in the uniform he had fought Steve in during the fall of Shield and his hair as long as it had been then, stared impassively. A man dressed in a US Air Force uniform eyed Sam blankly. And finally, Loki, dressed as he had been during the battle of New York, scepter and all, smirked at a steaming Clint.

 

“Like that?” Natasha asked and Steve nodded.

 

“What do we do Cap?” Sam asked and Steve narrowed his eyes.

 

“We fight,” Steve said simply.

 

The two sides rushed each other and then it was on. Natasha rushed her clone, striking a knife at her but her clone brought up her knives in an X formation, blocking her. Meanwhile, Steve ducked Bucky’s robotic arm and tackled his body, pushing him back. The man in the Air Force uniform fired off shots at Sam, who struggled to dodge.

 

“Come on Sam, you did nothing as I got shot out of the sky! The least you can do is let me kill you!” The man shouted.

 

Clint ducked, barely managing to dodge Loki’s strike with his scepter as Bucky pulled out a knife. Bucky tried to stab Steve but Steve grabbed his wrist, managing to hold it back. Steve elbowed Bucky in the face with his free arm and kneed him in the lower abdomen. Bucky stumbled back and Steve managed to throw him over his shoulder and slam Bucky onto the ground.

 

Clint dodged another strike by Loki before kicking him in the abdomen and punching Loki in the chin. Loki stumbled back, clearly affected and Clint smirked.

 

“You look like Loki, but you’re not him. You don’t have the bastard’s strength. And I’m betting you’re a hell of a lot more vulnerable,” Clint said before rushing forward.

 

Sam sent a kick to Riley’s abdomen and Riley dropped one of his guns. Sam picked it up and the two opened fire on one another. As Steve and Bucky continued to trade blows, the Natashas wrestled each other to the ground. They jumped up and Natasha kicked her clone in the abdomen and as she went down, Natasha pulled out her knife and stabbed her clone in the chest. She yanked it out and saw Steve still trading blows with Bucky.

 

“Steve!” Natasha shouted as she threw it.

 

Steve looked up and caught it. Steve then whirled around, stabbing Bucky in the abdomen. Bucky coughed up blood before Steve yanked it out. Bucky fell back and Steve looked over to see Sam on the ground, Riley aiming his pistol at him. Steve threw the knife and it hit Riley’s hand. Riley dropped the gun and it landed near Sam’s hand. Sam picked it up and fired, getting Riley in the chest. Riley stumbled back as Sam stood up, firing again. Riley fell back, dead, as Sam looked over at Clint still exchanging blows with Loki. Sam tossed Clint the pistol and he caught it. Clint fired and got Loki in the abdomen. Loki stumbled back, dropping his scepter, which Clint caught.

 

“That was for me. But this,” Clint said as he then stabbed Loki through the heart with the scepter. “This is for Phil.”

 

Clint yanked the scepter out of Loki and Loki fell back. Clint tossed the scepter to the ground and suddenly, all the bodies were gone.

 

“Steve?”

 

Steve looked back at Tony’s house to see Peggy emerge from it. With a sigh, Steve looked at his teammates.

 

“You guys go. I’ll catch up,” Steve assured them.

 

With understanding looks, the three of them ran off as Steve approached Peggy.

 

“Steve, what’s going on?” She asked concerned.

 

“I’m sorry, I have to go now,” Steve told.

 

“No, you can’t go! No!” Peggy suddenly shouted as she grabbed him by his jacket.

 

“I have to,” Steve said gently as he gently pried her hands off his jacket. “You told me once I was meant for more than this. You were right, but I don’t think either of us expected what I was meant for to take me so far away from you. The truth of the matter is…we were just never meant to be. We were together for…moments. It was just never the right moment. Goodbye Peggy.”

 

Steve then let her go and took off. Hearing her call after him, he paused, looking back at her one more time before he ran after the others.

 

Dream world, Avengers Tower

Later

 

“Okay. So now what?” Clint asked as the foursome walked into the main lobby.

 

“Well, I don’t think that’s supposed to be here,” Sam noted as he pointed at a green portal, similar to a breach. “Hopefully that’s the way out of here.”

 

“And if it’s not?” Natasha demanded.

 

“We click our heels together and say ‘there’s no place like home’,” Clint said sarcastically and Natasha shot him a look.

 

“Only one way to know for sure,” Steve stopped the arguing.

 

Sam, Natasha and Clint entered the portal and Steve was about to follow when he heard a voice behind him.

 

“Steve?”

 

Steve turned around and saw six holograms staring at him. His throat tightened as he saw six people who, in one way or another, he had lost.

 

“You were meant for more than this you know,” Peggy told him.

 

“Compromise where you can and where you can’t, don’t,” Sharon said.

 

“I’m with you until the end of the line pal,” Bucky said.

 

“Like the old man said, together,” Tony said.

 

“Looks like you’re giving the orders now Captain,” Fury said.

 

“Not a perfect soldier, but a good man,” Erskine said.

 

Steve lingered for only a moment more before, with a heavy heart, he turned and walked into the green portal.

 

Dominator ship

Night

 

Steve woke up in a pod that was opened. He got out and saw the others getting out of theirs.

 

“You guys okay?” Steve asked.

 

“I will be once I find a Dominator to kill,” Clint growled with Natasha looking like she agreed.

 

“Uh, guys,” Sam called over from the window. “I think you should see this.”

 

Waveridder

Same time

 

“Okay, this makes no sense,” Cisco said as he, Nate, Ray, and Amaya stared at what they had gotten.

 

“It just looks random,” Nate said.

 

“Maybe Gideon could help,” Amaya suggested.

 

“Gideon, could you translate this?” Ray asked.

 

“Certainly, Mr. Palmer,” Gideon said and was silent for a moment. “It most closely resembles Gematria, the numerology of the Torah. It’s the numerical equivalent of letters, words, and phrases."

 

“But can you read it?” Cisco asked.

 

“-3.127 latitude, -23.7987 longitude." Gideon translated.

 

“But that doesn’t make sense…unless…oh frak,” Cisco paled.

 

Dominator ship

Same time

 

The Avengers stared to into the cold vacuum of space from the small window.

 

“Shit,” Clint said what they were all thinking.

 

“We need to remain calm. We don’t have our weapons, so we can’t fight our way out. We need to find a way out of here, so let’s move as quietly as we can without detection,” Steve ordered.

 

The four of them exited the room and rounded a corner. They took cover as two Dominators passed, one of them speaking. Steve noticed Clint and Natasha glaring at them hatefully but decided now was not the time. They walked out once The Dominators had passed and rounded a corner and to run smack dab into a horde of Dominators.

 

“Find our way out you said,” Clint said sarcastically as The Dominators noticed them. 

 

Seeing a weapon on the wall that looked like a blaster, Natasha grabbed it. Desperately hoping it worked like a gun, she pulled what looked like a trigger and an orange beam shot out of it. It hit The Dominators and they all stumbled back, obviously in pain.

 

“Run!” Steve barked ad they didn’t need to be told twice.

 

The group made their way through the ship until they found themselves in what was obviously a hanger bay filled with smaller drone ships.

 

“You think one of us can fly one of these things?” Clint inquired.

 

“I’m hoping one of us can,” Steve told him.

 

The four got into the nearest ship and took their seats.

 

“So, anyone know how to work this?” Sam asked hopefully.

 

“Yeah, because Shield had a ‘how to pilot an alien space ship’ course at the academy,” Clint said sarcastically.

 

Seeing what looked like a hand activation pad in front of her, Natasha shrugged and put her hand on it. Immediately, the ship came alive and the controls came up to the laps.

 

“You’re welcome,” Natasha said smugly to the stunned males.

 

The ship left and flew out the larger ship. However, they didn't get far when various other ships started popping out of the larger craft.

 

“Okay, we need to figure out how to fly this thing, fast!” Sam said alarmed.

 

“I don’t know what’s the controls and what isn’t!” Clint said as the ship rocked.

 

“Well boys, it’s been nice knowing you,” Natasha said as three of the ships formed a triangle and a red triangle of energy formed.

 

Suddenly, the Waveridder flew in and broke up the formation of the ships. The time ship flew over to their ship and beamed them up before vanishing in a blink.

 

The Waveridder

Seconds later

 

“Thank god you guys are okay,” Cisco said as he met them in the doors.

 

“Thanks to you guys,” Steve said gratefully.

 

“I kind of expected them to take their clothes,” Ray admitted, eying their suits.

 

“And what, put us in prison uniforms?” Clint asked sarcastically.

 

“When you say it like that, it sounds pretty stupid,” Ray said as they entered the cockpit, where Nata and Amaya were waiting.

 

“Hey, glad you’re okay. I’m Nate Heywood,” Nate held his hand out to Steve, who shook it.

 

“Steve Rogers,” Steve introduced himself.

 

“You didn’t by chance make me another bow, did you?” Clint asked Cisco who shook his head.

 

“Sorry,” Cisco apologized.

 

“He doesn’t need to. The Waveridder can replicate old weapons,” Ray said and Clint smirked.

 

“Good. Thanks for the save,” Clint said.

 

“No problem,” Nate said quickly.

 

“Except for our other problems,” Clint muttered and they turned to him.

 

“Something on your mind Clint?” Sam asked.

 

“When we got out of that hallucination, I looked at the tech these ETs were using to keep us in. The tech, it’s similar in design to a project Tahiti, something Fury was cooking up to modify people’s memories,” Clint explained.

 

“And that means what?” Amaya asked confused but Natasha understood.

 

“The hallucination was to keep our minds occupied while The Dominations scanned our minds,” Natasha supplied.

 

“Maybe they didn’t take us randomly. Maybe they chose us because we couldn’t fight back,” Clint suspected.

 

“Because none of you are Metas,” Cisco realized and Clint nodded.

 

“Well that leaves the question of what were they looking for,” Steve mused.

 

"Klic-clac-to-nick-lava-shack-too,” Natasha said and they all looked at her.

 

“What?” Sam asked confused.

 

“When we were hiding and those Dominators passed us, one of them said that,” Natasha explained.

 

“Which means what?” Sam asked and Natasha shrugged.

 

“Gideon?” Ray called out and Gideon’s head appeared, startling the Avengers.

 

"Translating. The phase loosely translates to 'we are nearing completion of the weapon’,” Gideon explained.

 

“What weapon is that?” Steve asked.

 

“I’m afraid I have no idea, but I’ve been tracking The Dominator mothership you escaped from, and it appears to be on a direct course for earth,” Gideon said and they all exchanged uneasy looks.

“The Dominators are approaching their endgame. We need to head back to earth, it’s time to end this,” Steve ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those that call Oliver a serial killer don’t seem to look at the facts other than he killed people. A serial killer would have killed every opportunity given; they would have left no survivors. A mere week before The Undertaking, seven months after he returned, Quentin Lance tells Roy and Thea that The Hood killed less than fifty people. I find that people who call Oliver a serial killer are usually people who don’t like him or people who just can’t handle it when heroes kill.
> 
> If Natasha seems out of character, remember, she’s not as emotionless as she appears. And, Steve and Clint are two people that she lets her guard down around. 
> 
> For the villains, looking back at Invasion, each villain seems to be representative of a unresolved issue of one of the heroes. 
> 
> Steve blames himself for Bucky becoming The Winter Solider. Riley is, in case anyone forgot, Sam’s partner from the Air Force who was shot down in front of him during a routine mission. Basically, he was Sam’s Bucky. Do I even need to explain Loki for Clint?
> 
> Natasha I definitely need to explain, because her opponent was probably confusing. I had a hard time with Natasha’s opponent, because we don’t know a whole lot about her past. But then I realized the biggest issue of her past is her time in The Red Room and KGB. Natasha’s opponent is Natasha before she met Clint, back when she was an assassin for the KGB.
> 
> Did anyone else think it was a weird that The Dominators undressed everyone and put them in prison uniforms they just happen to have lying around?


	41. A trip to the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As some of the team accompany the Legends to the past, Oliver and Barry have a disagreement over Kara.

Star Labs Hanger  
Morning

“I can’t believe you guys escaped an alien spaceship, key words alien spaceship. I have questions,” Cisco said as he led Ray, Nate and The Avengers into the hanger.

“It can wait. What’s our status?” Steve asked as they walked up to Barry, Oliver, Wanda, Sara, Stein, and Kara.

“Nothing since The Dominators paid their little visit to mess with our heads,” Barry said.

“Why would they do that?” Nate wondered.

“What if they were trying to pit us against each other to gain Intel about Metahumans?” Ray suggested.

“Well, Metas pose the greatest threat to their invasion. It would make sense they’d want to get to know their enemies,” Kara noted.

“By kidnapping people. Perhaps they were searching your minds for potential Metahuman vulnerabilities,” Stein suggested.

“Way ahead of you there pal,” Clint told him.

“I think it’s time we return the favor,” Oliver said.

“Kidnapping a Dominator? Count me in,” Clint said eagerly.

"Ever since we found off that one ship, they've been in short supply," Barry told them.

"Actually, I think I know where to find one," Nate said as he walked over to one of the computers in the hanger. "I've been reviewing some of the old army footage of their first encounter with The Dominators. And I think I pegged the fight to-"

The various screens behind him showed the footage of what looked like one of the old war films from the Second World War.

"Redmond, Oregon. 1951," Nate finished and they watched as a Dominator appeared on screen.

"You're suggesting that we travel back to 1951, abduct a Dominator, and interrogate it to determine their intentions?" Stein asked incredulously.

“They kidnapped us. Seems fair,” Sara shrugged. 

“Count me in. I’ve got a score to settle with these guys,” Clint said, pulling out his bow and giving it a whirl for show.

“Time travel. I’m definitely in,” Cisco grinned.

“Hold on, Professor Stein and Caitlin have been working on a way to take down The Dominators. They could probably use your help,” Barry argued.

“Come on man, it’s time travel,” Cisco said as he looked over at Barry hopefully.

“Alright, fine,” Barry gave in, not wanting to argue when his and Cisco’s relationship was still so fragile. “But take Wally with you.”

“I’ll take Amaya and Mick to,” Nate offered and Barry nodded.

“Think I’ll tag along on this one to,” Clint said as he followed after Nate and Cisco.

"And the new president called, which would be cool under different circumstances, but she wants to meet with us," Barry explained to the remaining group.

“We should bring Oliver, Nat, Sara, and Ray as backup,” Steve suggested and Barry nodded in agreement.

“What about me, I can be backup,” Kara said and Barry and Steve exchanged a look.

“Not a bad idea,” Barry said and Steve shrugged.

“Your call,” Steve said simply.

“Barry, can I talk to you for a minute?” Oliver asked, gesturing over to a corner.

Oliver walked over without waiting for a response. Steve, Kara and Wanda shot Barry confused looks but he shrugged before following after Oliver.

“What’s going on?” Barry asked as he reached Oliver.

“I would like to minimize Kara’s involvement in this,” Oliver said to Barry’s surprise.

“Why? Because she’s an alien?” Barry asked incredulously, finding it hard to believe Oliver was xenophobic.

“No, because she’s an unknown variable in this fight,” Oliver said.

“She’s also our biggest gun. You don’t bench the strongest payer before a big game… That’s football, right?” Barry asked and Oliver sighed.

“Barry, I don’t know a whole lot about her and from what you’ve told me, you don’t either. The last time I gave someone I didn’t know the benefit of the doubt, everyone paid a high price,” Oliver said grimly and Barry was quiet as the ghost of Laurel Lance stood between them.

“Kara is not Andy Ollie. You don’t have to trust her, but I’m asking you to trust me. Can you do that?” Barry asked.

“You know I do,” Oliver said immediately.

“Good. Well, I trust Kara. And I think it’s a good idea to bring her along. Alright?” Barry said and Oliver sighed.

“Alright. But I’ll be watching her,” Oliver said before walking passed Barry.

“Okay, Kara, you’re coming with us. Wanda, Sam, keep an eye on things here and tell everyone what’s going on,” Barry ordered.

Redman, Oregon, 1951  
Morning

“Whoa,” Clint said, swaying on his feet as he stood up after the time ship landed.

“Severe time jumps can cause nausea, temporary deafness, and Linguistic disorientation. You alright?” Nate asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Clint said as he pulled out his bow. “Let’s go bag us a Dominator.”

“You two,” Mick said as he gestured to Wally and Cisco. “Watch the ship. We’re gonna go kidnap an alien.”

"Okay, I know I did not just through time so we could stay on the ship." Cisco said angrily as he and Wally stood up.

“Speedy, you’re staying with the ship,” Mick told him.

“Are you serious?” Wally asked incredulously.

“Looks like it kiddies. See you later,” Clint said with a smirk as he, Mick, Amaya, and Nate exited the ship.

Outside a little later, Mick and Clint are eying Nate’s suit.

“You trying to copy Cap?” Clint asked.

“Ray made it for me,” Nate explained.

“You look like a star spangled idiot,” Mick said bluntly and Clint laughed.

“Oh god, that’s a good one. I’m gonna use that, thank you for that. That is never going away,” Clint chuckled. 

“We need to find the army,” Amaya said.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the sound of an explosion pierced the air. The four of them raced towards the sound and ended up on a ledge, overlooking the battle between The Dominators and the army.

“I think we found them,” Nate said grimly.

Clint’s hand tightened around his bow as he saw men, good men, he was sure, who were fighting for their country, get slaughtered. But he knew he couldn’t save them, because it would be changing history. 

“Let’s grab one and get out of here,” Clint said gruffly.

“Just looking for one of the weaker ones in the herd,” Mick said, intimidated by The Dominators but trying not to show it.

“I don’t think there are any weaker ones,” Amaya noted.

Back on The Waveridder, Cisco was lying down on the holotable as Wally paced.

“Wonder what’s going on out there,” Wally mused.

“It's a real life Spielberg movie and we're stuck in here," Cisco said glumly.

“You okay?” Wally asked as he looked over at him.

“I don’t know. I’ve got the worst case FAMO while everyone else is out there kidnapping an alien. And…”

“And you’re still holding a grudge against Barry,” Wally said and took Cisco’s silence as confirmation. “You know he didn’t mean for what happened to Dante to happen. And come on, cut him some slack, his dad was just murdered in front of him.”

“I know okay?!” Cisco snapped as he got to his feet. “I know he didn’t mean for Dante to die and I know his dad had just died! But I don’t know how to get passed this! I don’t!”

Cisco turned away, leading on the holotable.

“I used to dream about all this, time travel, aliens…now it just feels weird,” Cisco said softly.

“Hey, you’re talking to the guy who just found his dad and sister a year ago and now has superpowers. I get it. But it’s just gonna get weirder. We should lean on the people in our lives,” Wally told him.

“I don’t think I can do that,” Cisco sighed. 

Back with Clint and The Legends, the foursome watched as The Dominators dragged the corpses of the army off before they were beamed up.

“They’re running away?” Clint asked confused.

“Why are they attacking us then leaving?” Nate asked just as confused.

“It’s an RIF mission-Reconnaissance in force,” Amaya explained.

“Ah look, a straggler,” Mick smirked as they saw a Dominator reach for one of the corpses.

“I’ve got this,” Clint smirked as he reached into his quiver.

Clint notched his way and took aim at The Dominator. After waiting a few seconds, Clint fired. The Dominator must have sensed the arrow, because it reached out and caught it. Clint smirked before pressing a button on his bow. The Dominator screamed in pain as it was electrocuted before it fell on its back, clearly disoriented.

“And that’s how it’s done kids,” Clint joked.

“Not bad Robin Hood,” Mick said as the four of them made their way down to get The Dominator.

Once they reached the Dominator, Clint picked up his arrow, putting it back in his quiver as Mick and Nate prepared to pick up The Dominator. However a voice spoke up behind them.

“Well done,” A man in a suit with slicked back hair said as he approached them, surrounded by men in suits that aimed their guns at Clint and The Legends. “I see you’ve managed to catch us a specimen.” 

“Sorry, this one’s not for you. You’ll have to wait for the next one to take back to area fifty-one,” Clint quipped as he eyed the men with guns.

“How do you know about area fifty-one?” The man demanded as he eyed Clint suspiciously.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Clint joked.

“Who are you?” Amaya asked.

“Just a humble civil servant,” the man said as he pulled out a badge.

As Nate held Mick back, Clint eyed the man wearily. This man reminded him far too much of Ross for Clint’s liking. When the men began firing tranq darts at them, Clint was ready.

While the others were taken down quickly, Clint grabbed the dark aimed for him and threw it towards the man nearest to him. It him in the shoulder and the man went down as Clint fired an arrow at another man. It got him in the shoulder, just a regular arrow. As the man went down, Clint was hit from behind with a tranq dart. Clint fell to his knees, his vision already blurry as he dropped his bow. This was one powerful sedative, Clint thought before it all went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter’s kind of on the short side but this felt like a good stopping point. Next one will be longer.
> 
> I found Oliver’s little freak-out over aliens to be very out of character for him. Oliver not trusting Kara because he doesn’t know her makes complete sense for his character, especially since the last time he gave someone a pass it didn’t go so well. But his whole freak out about not getting unnerved and having to get back a sense of normalcy, it all felt like a Diggle reaction rather than an Oliver reaction.


	42. The Dominators' demands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Wally and Cisco attempt to rescue Clint and The Legends in the past, Barry and the others learn startling news about The Dominators in the present.

The Waveridder, 1951

Afternoon

 

“Okay, this is very bad, very very bad,” Cisco rambled after they’d gotten the alert.

 

“Where’d you think they’re taking them?” Wally asked.

 

“Those men in black types are probably gonna take them to a secret lab and run experiments on them. Have you seen Stranger Things?" Cisco asked sarcastically.

 

“Okay, you watch way too much television,” Wally told him.

 

“Life imitates art Wally. Either way, we need to help them,” Cisco said as he pulled out a brief case.

 

“We? I think you mean me. No offense, but you’re tech support Cisco,” Wally pointed out.

 

“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you Wally. And you can’t do this by yourself,” Cisco argued as he pulled out a device resembling a blaster from Star Wars. “Set your phasers to stun.”

 

Unspecified location, 1951

Slightly later

 

“Clint, are you alright?” Amaya asked as Clint came to.

 

“Yeah, just a little groggy,” Clint shook his head to clear away the cob webs. “So, those assholes got us then?”

 

“This is why I hate the government,” Mick supplied as he looked over at Nate and Amaya. “Can’t you two use your powers?”

 

“Whatever they tranqed us with is screwing with my powers and Amaya’s ability to harness her magic amulet’s power,” Nate explained.

 

An inhumane grunt brought their attention to the Dominator, who was strapped down to some kind of operating table.

 

“He’s still alive,” Amaya said as she got up and walked over, stopping halfway.

 

“Well, chances are none of us are gonna be alive much longer,” Clint sighed.

 

“Wait, this is the exact opportunity we’ve been looking for,” Nate said as he stood up and walked up next to Amaya.

 

“To get captured?” Mick asked incredulously.

 

“No,” Clint said, realizing what Nate was getting at. “To interrogate a Dominator, find out what they’re after.”

 

“Well this is a first, talking with an alien,” Mick said as and Clint stood up.

 

“It’s not as weird as you think. You get used to it after a while,” Clint shrugged.

 

“Excuse me Mr. Alien guy,” Nate said as he walked up to the Dominator.

 

The Dominator let out a loud shriek, causing all of them to wince in pain.

 

“I see why they use their telepathy,” Clint said sarcastically.

 

Central City, present

Late morning

 

Barry, Steve, Oliver, Natasha, Ray, Sara, and Kara all stood, waiting around at the spot where they were told to meet the president. Only one problem: No president.

 

“So where’s the president?” Sara spoke what they were all thinking.

 

“Late,” Steve noted with a hint of worry.

 

“Well, she's probably got a lot on her plate. What with the whole alien invasion thing,” Ray pointed out.

 

“And her predecessor getting killed,” Sara added.

 

“Still, does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?” Kara asked.

 

“Yeah. Something doesn’t feel right about this,” Barry agreed.

 

Further conversation was interrupted when four SUVs rolled in and surrounded them. The group exchanged uncertain looks as men in suits got out before one opened the back door of a car and someone got out. It was an old man in a suit that was definitely not the president.

 

“I’m sorry. The president couldn’t make it,” He said in a voice that lacked any sincerity.

 

“And you are?” Steve demanded and the man flashed a nasty smirked.

 

“If I told you…I’d have to kill you,” the man said as the men in suits aimed their guns at them.

 

Unspecified location, 1951

Afternoon

 

“Look, we just want to know why you attacked our planet,” Nate told the Dominator. “I mean, we’re just down here, minding our own business, and then you guys drop from the sky and attack us. Why?”

 

“ _There has been a recent emergence of Metahumans on your planet_ ,” The Dominator told them.

 

“Wait, he’s talking about the JSA,” Amaya realized.

 

“The what?” Clint asked in confusion.

 

“The Justice Society of America, a group of covert superheroes from World War Two, I’m one of them,” Amaya explained.

 

“ _We are here to determine if your kind are a threat_ ,” The Dominator explained.

 

Further conversation was interrupted when the doors burst open. They all looked over as the man in the suit from earlier walked in with armed guards. Clint considered making a move but decided against it. There were too many of them and without his bow and arrows, he couldn’t fight them all off, even if he did have help from the others.

 

“Let’s start with him,” the man said gesturing to The Dominator. “The rest of you will have to wait your turn.”

 

Central City, present

Afternoon

 

“Uh, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. We’re the good guys. And the president invited us here,” Ray tried to explain.

 

“Don’t you get it? The president didn’t invite us, this was a set up,” Natasha snapped as she glowered at the smirking man.

 

“Smart and pretty. It’s shame you chose to waste your talents,” The man said.

 

“What you see as a waste I see as saving the world,” Natasha sneered.

 

“Barry, it’s time to make a move,” Steve muttered and Barry nodded.

 

Barry sped forward at the man time as two of the men fired. Barry grabbed the bullets before speeding around, knocking out all the men in suits save for the older men. A bullet hit Ray’s shoulder, which simply bounced off sue to the armor of his suit.

 

“Sniper,” Oliver said.

 

Barry simply nodded before speeding off. While he took care of that, more men in suits approached from all sides. Natasha pulled out her pistols and fired, getting some of them in the shoulders as Oliver fired. Sara pulled out her side batons and engaged another as Steve exchanged a few blows with another before grabbing him and throwing him over the car. As one tried to fire, Kara placed her hand in front of the pistol and the bullet simply hit her hand, unable to leave the gun. Kara then yanked the gun out of the man’s hand and, with a gentle (by Kryptonian standards) punch, sent the man down to the ground, unconscious. Ray sent another flying as Steve threw another over the car. Oliver fired an arrow, getting the last one in the legs as he aimed at Steve. The man cried out as Oliver slugged him. Steve nodded in thanks as Barry sped back, appearing in front of the old man, who as backed the car as he stared at them with fear. 

 

“We’re trying to help you. This is how you thank us?” He asked angrily.

 

“You don’t understand. The reason the xenomorphs are here-”

 

“Is because they have a beef with the Metahumans,” Sara cut him off. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

 

“Like what exactly did we do to them?” Flash demanded.

 

“Nothing, yet. But they see individuals with powers such as yours as a future threat, and frankly, so do I,” The old man said.

 

“Great, this earth has a Ross to,” Natasha said sarcastically.

 

Unspecified location, 1951

Afternoon

 

Clint clenched his hands as he heard The Dominator scream. He may not like the Dominators, but no one deserved that.

 

“What do you think they’re doing to him?” Nate asked worriedly.

 

“Same thing they’re gonna do to us if we don’t get out of here,” Amaya said grimly.

 

“Discovery requires experimentation. Hydra’s favorite catch phrase,” Clint said bitterly.

 

Suddenly, the sounds of blasters and screams came from outside. They looked up as the door burst open, revealing Wally and Cisco, who was holding a blaster.

 

“Looks like you guys need some help,” Wally said with a grin.

 

“Great, saved by a geek and a rookie,” Mick grumbled.

 

“Who have your gun,” Cisco said as he held up Mick’s Heat Gun.

 

“We figured we shouldn’t leave this stuff lying around in the past,” Wally said as he tossed Clint his bow and handed him his quiver of arrows.

 

“Smart call, no idea what effect leaving this here could have on the timeline,” Nate said as they exited the room.

 

“The Waveridder is ready to take us back to the present,” Cisco explained before they heard The Dominator scream.

 

“We can’t leave him here,” Clint said.

 

“Why not, he’s an alien?” Mick asked disgruntled.

 

“Just because they're douches doesn't mean we have to be, Cisco argued.

 

“No one deserves this,” Clint said as he walked off, prepared to do what needed to be done.

 

Clint kicked the door down and the suited man from earlier and a man who was obviously a medic turned around to face him. Clit reached back into his quiver and fired two regular arrows that hit the two men in the shoulder. They went down and Clint walked over to The Dominator, Amaya following him.

 

“Come on, up we go,” Clint said as he and Amaya helped him to his feet, the alien whimpering pitifully.

 

“Don’t worry, we’re gonna get you out of here,” Amaya assured him.

 

Waveridder, 1951

Night

 

After a few hours of Cisco working on The Dominator ship, Cisco and Wally watched as he took off in his ship.

 

"Bye," Cisco said, having a strange device in his hand. "He didn't even say thank you."

 

“What’s that?” Wally asked as he eyed the device.

 

"I think it’s a transponder," Cisco said as he turned around.

 

“Did you steal that off his ship?” Wally asked.

 

“Maybe,” Cisco said defensively.

 

"You kids finished?" Mick asked bored.

 

The pair stood up and everyone took their seats, preparing for the time jump.

 

Central City, present

Afternoon

 

“If you’re such BFFs with The Dominators-” Sara began.

 

“Then why don’t you call them off?” Oliver demanded.

 

“We know you forced them into a retreat in 1951,” Steve told the man.

 

“That was just a reconnaissance mission,” The old man said.

 

“What brought them back?” Barry demanded.

 

“You did Mr. Allen,” The old man said and they all froze in shock.

 

“He knows who you are,” Ray breathed.

 

“You threatened the entire universe when you used your powers to upset the normal course of time,” The old man said.

 

“Barry, what’s he talking about?” Sara demanded.

 

“After my dad died, I um, reset the timeline. I went back in time and saved my mom, created an alternate timeline called Flashpoint,” Barry said and Ray, Sara, and Kara were sunned into silence. “When I realized I’d made a huge mistake, I tried to make things back the way they were but things were…different than when I left. I made a mistake; I don’t plan on repeating it.”

 

“How do you even know about Flashpoint?” Natasha demanded.

 

“They told us. For the past sixty years, we have enjoyed a truce with your so called Dominators. You broke the truce,” The old man said and Barry turned away, a hand over his face.

 

“God,” Barry said, fresh guilt rising p in him.

 

“What do they want?” Steve demanded.

 

“I’ve negotiated a deal with them: If Mr. Allen surrenders himself, they will leave us in peace,” The man said and they stared in shock as he looked directly at Barry. “You really want to save the world? Here’s your chance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but this felt like a pretty good stopping point. Next chapter will conclude Invasion, so it will be much longer.
> 
> Am I the only one who thinks it as weird that the episode refers to Amya as a Meta? Her powers come from her necklace, just like Mari’s. Her powers are magic, therefore she’s not a Meta.
> 
> Once again, The Legends show their rather flexible regard for the timeline in this episode. They leave Mick’s gun in the past, which could drastically alter the present. Stupid or irresponsible or both?


	43. Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone reacts to Flashpoint and secrets about Barry's time on EArth-66 and Flashpoint are revealed. STeve worries about Natasha.

Waveridder

Afternoon

 

As the Waveridder returned to the present and landed, the transponder in Cisco's hand went off.

 

"What's happening?" Nate asked as they all turned to him.

 

"I don’t know. Either our food's ready or this guy's trying to call us," Cisco said as he got to his feet.

 

Cisco put the device on the console and a hologram of The Dominator appeared.

 

"Hey, oh my god it's him," Cisco said jovially.

 

"He's even uglier than the last time we saw him,” Mick said crudely.

 

“ _Sixty-five of your years ago, you rescued me from capture_ ,” the Dominator told them.

 

“Listen, you don’t need to thank us,” Cisco told him.

 

“Speak for yourself. This guy took over of my mind and abducted me and put me in some weird dream world. We saved his ass, so I think he owes us something,” Clint said gruffly.

 

“He can thank us by turning around and heading home,” Mick agreed.

 

“ _In gratitude, I will spare your lives, but I cannot do the same for Barry Allen,” The_ Dominator said and Cisco and Clint tensed. “ _If your friend does not surrender himself, we will have no choice but to deploy a weapon that will exterminate all Metahumans."_

The hologram faded, leaving the five to stare in stunned shock.

 

Star Labs hanger

Later in the afternoon

 

“Considering how much they hate Metas, it’s hard to imagine they'd be satisfied with just one," Ray noted as everyone but Barry and Wanda stood in the hanger.

 

“If I know Barry, he’s gonna want to be that one,” Cisco said worried.

 

“Not like he doesn’t deserve it,” Sara said under her breath but everyone heard her loud and clear.

 

“Hey!” Oliver snapped but Sara simply glared at him.

 

“He can’t just go back and change things! Do you know how hard it is for me not to bring Laurel back?! No offense,” Sara said as she looked at Laurel, who simply shrugged.

 

“Okay, let’s all calm down and try to remember, Barry had just lost his dad. He wasn’t thinking rationally,” Kara said, trying to play peacemaker.

 

“And if I recall Sara, there was a time where you didn’t think so rationally either when it came to loved ones and I had to pull you back from the edge,” Oliver snapped and Sara growled. “The difference is Barry didn’t have someone to pull him back.”

 

“Lay off him, he’s punished himself enough for all of you,” Sam said in defense of Barry.

 

“He decided to just create an aberration. He can’t just do that,” Ray argued.

 

“And who gave you the okay to build a super suit because you lost your fiancée?” Oliver snapped.

 

“That’s different,” Ray said defensively.

 

“Tell that to Roy, who you blasted into a fence,” Oliver snapped and Ray was silent. “We all have incredible abilities, they don’t make us gods. We make mistakes, every single one of us. To judge Barry for making a mistake makes each and every one of us hypocrites.”

 

“We didn’t mess with the timeline!” Sara snapped.

 

“Really? Because if half of the things you’ve told me are true Sara, you mess with it far more than Barry does,” Oliver snapped and the Legends shifted.

 

“We always correct our mistakes,” Ray said defensively.

 

“Which is exactly what Barry tried to do,” Steve pointed out.

 

“Do you know what he had to do to reset the timeline, to undo Flashpoint? Has he ever told you?” Clint asked and everyone was silent. “I thought not. He had to go to Eobard Thawne and practically beg him to kill his mother again.”

 

“He had to what?” Cisco asked, pale as he thought of all the ways he had treated Barry over Dante.

 

“He had to beg the man who murdered his mother to kill her again. And he’s had to put up with all of you blaming him for everything since. And that’s not even counting the Red Death and what it’s done to him,” Natasha said and Oliver whipped his head towards Natasha.

 

“The Red Death?” Oliver echoed.

 

“You know it?” Natasha noted the way Oliver had paled.

 

“I was injected with it over four years ago,” Oliver said and Natasha nodded.

 

“Would someone explain what The Red Death is?” Thea inquired.

 

“It’s an interrogation drug developed by the KGB. Causes hallucinations and flashbacks, mentally tortures the victim. It never leaves the body so, because Barry is a speedster, he still sometimes gets hallucinations,” Natasha said before looking at the assembled team. “So, before you decide to judge Barry, you might want to stop and consider for one moment what he’s been through.”

 

Natasha turned and stormed off, not waiting for a response. Steve shot Clint a look and nodded before following after her.

 

“Barry did what anyone in his position would do. He wanted to see his family again after losing them. If any one of you say you wouldn’t do the same, you’re lying,” Olive said before he turned and walked off.

 

Barry was in a secluded corner of the hanger, deep in thought as he sat on the steps of one of the equipment trucks. Wanda walked over, hesitant to approach him before she reached him.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Not really,” Barry sighed. “God, I thought when I came back here, that Flashpoint was a time in my life I could just leave behind. But no matter what I do, I just can’t escape it.”

 

“Maybe you’re not meant to escape it,” Wanda said and Barry looked up to you. “Flashpoint…it’s what brought you to me, to us.  It’s what made you who you are. Maybe instead of running from it, you should embrace it.”

 

“Maybe you’re right,” Barry said after a moment.

 

“Barry…please tell me you aren’t planning on sacrificing yourself,” Wanda all but begged and Barry is surprised.

 

“If I actually thought it would appease the Dominators, I’d at least consider it. But with how much these Dominators hate Metas, I doubt they’d just leave if I gave myself up. Besides, I have too much to lose now,” Barry said, his eyes drifting down to Wanda’s stomach.

 

Steve found Natasha by a van, silently watching Barry and Wanda.

 

“You okay?” Steve asked quietly.

 

“Things got a whole lot more complicated for them, now that there’s a kid involved. I’m a spy Steve, it’s what I do,” Natasha said with a sad smile.

 

“Was that all about Barry back there, or is there something else going on?” Steve asked and Natasha was silent as she watched Barry and Wanda.

 

“How do you…mourn for something that wasn’t even real?” Natasha asked softly and Steve was silent, trying to find the right words.

 

“The way you felt was real. You may not have actually been pregnant, but the way you felt about it in that other world, that was real Nat. It’s not a crime to feel pain, even pain that shouldn’t make sense,” Steve told her softly as he put a hand on her shoulder.

 

Natasha took one look at his understanding eyes and crumbled. She lowered her head and her lips trembled as she began to cry, tears falling down her checks. Steve took her in his arms, allowing Natasha to cry her face in his shoulder as she sobbed quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I promised I would conclude Invasion this chapter, but it was starting to feel that I was cramming too much into the chapter. That I was putting too much in at the expense of the characters and what they were feeling after what happened. So, next chapter will definitely conclude Invasion.
> 
> Honestly, The Legends annoyed me in Invasion. They repeatedly screw with the timeline, in ways that are far worse than Flashpoint, and yet they think they have the right to judge Barry? Honestly, Invasion, with the exception of the Arrow part, felt like a ‘let’s have everyone gang up on Barry’ fest. Barry made a mistake, yes, but if any of these characters think they wouldn’t have done the same in his position, they are lying to themselves. In fact, Sara actually did try to do the same as Barry in Legends 2x01, which her hypocrisy in the crossover that much worse. 
> 
> If Natasha seems out of character here, see what I already put about that in the final dream world chapter. Plus, I didn’t like how the characters just shrugged off what happened in the Dream World. You don’t have that happen to you and go on like nothing happened.


	44. Vibing a Dominator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco and Nate Vibe The Dominators in an attempt to broker a peace as the inevitable battle looms. Cisco comes to a horrible realization as Barry gives the team an ultimatum.

Star Labs Hanger

Afternoon

 

“Sorry,” Natasha said as she pulled back after several long moments. “I didn’t mean to-”

 

“It’s okay Nat. You don’t need to apologize for being human,” Steve told her kindly and she flashed a weak grin.

 

“Don’t let it out that Black Widow has feelings,” Natasha joked as Sam walked up.

 

“Oh, we all know that’s a lie, we know you’re a big softie,” Sam joked and Natasha rolled her eyes good naturedly as Sam looked over at Barry and Wanda. “How’s Barry doing?”

 

“She seems okay. It’s good that he has Wanda to lean on in all this,” Steve noted as Sam nodded.

 

“Especially since they’re gonna be parents,” Sam said and they whipped their heads towards him. “I know what pregnancy looks like, seen it enough in my line of work as a PTSD counselor. Vets starting a family that are concerned about whether they should be.”

 

“So Laura and Clint are the only ones who don’t know,” Steve noted.

 

“Laura knows,” Natasha shrugged.

 

“So Clint is the only one left out of the loop? So much for Hawkeye,” Sam snickered.

 

“Left out of the loop of what?”

 

The three turned to see Clint walk over, eying them curiously.

 

“Nothing,” Steve said, deciding to let Wanda and Barry tell him on their own time.

 

Clint eyed them, not sure he believed them, but nodded, decided that now wasn’t the time. They had other, more pressing issues.

 

“Our problems went from bad to worse,” Clint said and his teammates looked at him confused. “Dominator Ships are coming in worldwide, including one in the city. For the time being, they’re just sitting up in the sky, like an alien big brother.”

 

“Well, so much for that truce, huh?” Sam said sarcastically.

 

“Cisco and Nate are trying to contact The Dominators, see if we can work out another deal. It’s probably hopeless but we gotta try, right?” Clint said, his voice saying e put as much stock in that as his teammates.

 

“They won’t be reasoned with. They’re just wasting our time,” Natasha grumbled.

 

“They have hope. We can’t begrudge them that,” Steve reasoned.

 

“Looks like our Dominator friend isn’t calling you back,” Nate told Cisco as they stared at the transponder.

 

“No, he’s not, but I have another idea,” Cisco said as he whirled the transponder. “If this came from the dropship and the dropship came from the mother ship, theoretically, I could use it to Vibe us up there.”

 

“And if you can’t? Nate asked wearily.

 

“Then I’d be Vibing us into the cold, unforgiving vacuum of space,” Cisco said bluntly.

 

“Let’s not do that,” Nate decided and Cisco nodded.

 

Cisco and Nate took hands and suddenly, they were no longer on Earth.

 

_Cisco’s Vibe_

_Cisco and Nate appeared on the Dominator ship. They looked around and saw The Dominator they had saved._

_“What an unusual gift. You appear to be a Metahuman as well,” He said, a hint of disgust in his voice._

_“We figured you’d cut us some slack, considering we saved you back in 1951. You remember that?” Cisco snapped._

_“Much has changed on your planet in the last sixty years. The threat of your kind has become eminent,” The Dominator said._

_“Listen ET, we’re not a threat. We’re protecting our planet,” Cisco said firmly._

_“Besides, the guy who tortured your ugly ass back in 1951 was human,” Nate argued._

_“But what happens when a man like him acquires powers like yours?” The Dominator challenged and neither Cisco nor Nate had a response. “We have seen it happen on countless other worlds, which is why we must exterminate your kind before the scourge of your planet becomes the scourge of ours.”_

End Vibe

 

“Well, he’s out of his giant mind,” Nate said as he and cisco dropped hands.

 

“What if he’s right?” Cisco asked and Nate looked at him confused. “What if in trying to use our powers to save the world, we end up destroying it?”

 

“Dude, I get it, Barry screwed up,” Nate said but Cisco shook his head.

 

“Yeah, so did we. Back in 1951,” Cisco said and Nate almost groaned as he understood what Cisco was saying.

 

“We messed with time when we freed the Dominator,” Nate realized.

 

“Who’s now coming to kill us,” Cisco whispered as a cold realization washed over him.

 

This whole time, he had been angry at Barry for trying to make things right but only making them worse. And now here he was, doing the exact same thing for less reason that Barry had. Cisco was a hypocrite, he realized. And he’d treated Barry so horribly, not even considering what Barr must have gone through, Cisco felt shame flood through him as he thought of all the ways he’d been awful and cruel to his best friend in the last few weeks.

 

Later, as the team assembled, Barry and Wanda walked over.

 

“Where are we with The Dominators?” Barry asked as everyone looked over at him.

 

“Bunch of ships landed on earth, including one here in Central City,” Cisco said and Barry nodded as he looked around at everyone.

 

“I know a lot of you are upset with me because of Flashpoint. But you know what? I don’t give a damn,” Barry said bluntly to the surprise of most of the team. “Because what’s happening here is more important than petty grudges. This is the fate of the world we’re talking about and we can’t afford to mess that up because any of you can’t put your issues with me aside for the time being. If any of you have the tiniest doubt that you can’t trust me to lead you right now, then get out, because you’re a risk to the mission. But for those of you that stick around, you’re signing up for battle. Those of you who feel you can’t trust me, get out now. This is your one and only chance.”

 

Barry paused, waiting for anyone to leave. To his relief, no one moved to leave.

 

“Glad everyone’s on the same page, because we have another problem,” Clint said as he and Jax walked over.

 

“That ship that landed in central City? It’s opening up,” Jax said and they all exchanged grim glances.

 

“Let’s go to work,” Barry ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I keep promising the end of Invasion, but cutting away from that scene to the next felt really awkward and clunky. I assure you all that the next chapter will be the end of Invasion, I promise.


	45. Battling The Dominators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gathered heroes make one final stand against The Dominators in Central City as they try to stop the Metabomb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, we finally reach the end of the Invasion Arc. Took a little longer than I expected, but I hope it was well worth the weight.
> 
> With Invasion finished, keep an eye out for the Arrow spinoff, which I hope to post sometime this week.

Star Labs Hanger

Afternoon

 

“Dominator ships are opening up all over the world. Oh frak, something really big is falling to earth really fast!" Cisco panicked as he, Barry, Steve, and Oliver stared at a screen that showed a map of the city.

 

“It’s the Metabomb,” Barry realized.

 

“Why would they drop ships on us if they’re just gonna blow us up?” Cisco wondered.

 

“Because the ships were a distraction, they want us preoccupied while the take us out with the Metabomb,” Steve realized.

 

“Sara is on that, but we still need to be able to keep the Dominators at bay,” Oliver noted grimly.

 

“Perhaps this might be of assistance," the four of them turned around to see Stein walking over, a small, silver sphere with a red dot in the center. "I have created a device that, when placed on individual Dominators, will cause an indescribable amount of agony. Not the nicest invention, but this is war."

 

"Nice going," Barry told him as he picked up and examined the device.

 

"The caveat, of course, is that if we activate the device before all the devices are placed on The Dominators, they'll know what we are up to," Stein explained.

 

"Well, we have to do it fast," Oliver said with a pointed look at Barry.

 

"Only way I know how," Barry quipped.

 

“Hey,” The five looked up and saw Wally approached. “Wanda said you wanted to see me?”

 

“Yeah,” Barry said before looking over at Steve and Oliver. “You guys go on ahead. Wally and I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

Although they hesitated, Steve and Oliver left as a grinning Cisco pulled out a box and handed it to Wally. Wally raised an eyebrow but took it. He opened it and had a look of stunned shock and elation as he saw the yellow suit inside.

 

“Is this for real?” Wally asked eagerly as Cisco nodded with a grin.

 

“Remember your training. This isn’t a game, more lives are at stake here than just yours. You put on that suit; you stand for something, something bigger than yourself. Suit up Wally, we have a planet to save,” Barry ordered.

 

Central City

Not long after

 

Barry stood on a rooftop, flanked by Oliver and Steve. Standing behind Steve were Clint, Amaya, Mick, Sam and Thea while Natasha, Laurel, Wanda, Wally, and Nate stood behind Oliver. Ray, Firestorm, and Kara flew in, hovering above the ground as The Dominators appeared on the roof. The two sides rushed each other, the three archers firing their bows as Mick fired off his gun, forcing one back.

 

“How many you got so far?” Clint asked Oliver as they fired back to back.

 

“Three. You?” Oliver grunted as he fired another. “Make that four.”

 

“Five,” Clint said smugly.

 

Falcon slugged his feet into a Dominator, sending him flying back as Barry, using his speed; put one of Stein’s devices on the Dominator. A Dominator was approaching him from behind when a wall of red energy suddenly sent it flying back.

 

“Stay away from him,” Wanda hissed as Wally put one of Stein’s devices on the Dominator.

 

“Good luck kid, you’ll need it when the hormones kick in!” Clint told Barry as he fired another arrow.

 

Barry’s surprise that Clint knew lasted only a moment before he put it out of his mind. There were more important concerns, after all. Like The Dominator approaching him from behind. Before Barry could make a move, two blue beams shot out and hit The Dominator. It flew back and Barry looked up to see Kara flying overhead. Barry nodded in thanks before speeding off.

 

Natasha fired two pistols at an approaching Dominator but it seemed to only shrug the bullets off. It stuck at her but Natasha jumped up, wrapped her legs around its neck. She put the device on it before jumping into the air again before The Dominator was hit with a sonic scream. The Dominator landed on its back as Natasha landed next to Laurel on her feet.

 

“Thanks for the help,” Natasha said.

 

“Thank me later, we’re not done yet,” Laurel said as more Dominators approached.

 

While this was going on, Barry and Wally were speeding around, putting more off the devices on The Dominators.

 

As Firestorm flew off, Oliver got a Dominator in the shoulder but it yanked the arrow out and threw it aside. It approached him and Oliver tried to block with his bow but it slugged him with a punch hard enough to send him flying. However, before he reached the edge of the building, his body suddenly glowed red and he stopped, floating in mid-air. He was lowered to the ground and Oliver nodded his thanks at Wanda as he stopped glowing. Oliver fired another arrow at The Dominator, getting him. As another Dominator rushed him, Steve was suddenly there. He elbowed The Dominator in the face before kicking him, sending him stumbling back. Steve grabbed is arm, painting a device, and the punched him, following up with a kick to the abdomen, sending The Dominator falling on his back, hard.

 

“Okay, you guys are doing good over here, but there are still Dominators all over the country. And Wanda, Sara and Firestorm could probably use your help,” Cisco said over the Comms.

 

“Wally and I will handle The Dominators. And I’ll get Wanda there,” Barry said, speeding over, sweeping Wanda up into his arms bridal style before speeding off, Wally following closely behind him.

 

Barry sped up on a building overlooking The Metabomb. The Waveridder was hovering above it, a tractor beam clearly struggling to hold it up. Firestorm was on top of the bomb, pushing power into it.

 

“You got this,” Barry said confidently, putting Wanda on her feet. “I know you do.”

 

Barry then sped off to join Wally in planting the devices on The Dominators across the world. Wanda took a deep breath before her eyes narrowed and her hands glowed red. Wanda made a striking movement with her hands and a deep cut appeared in the bomb as it glowed red. Wanda spread her hands wide and, to the shock of Firestorm and Sara, the Metabomb was suddenly blown apart, the sound of power being cut off as it was now in pieces.

 

“Did she just do that?” Jax asked as he hovered above the pieces of the bomb, still trapped in the Waveridder’s tractor beam.

 

“ _I believe she did Jefferson,_ ” Stein told him, sounding just as stunned as Jax.

 

“Well why was she on the roof all this time?” Sara wondered out loud.

 

"Do it Cisco!" Oliver ordered back on the roof.

 

Almost immediately after he had spoken, The Dominators collapsed in pain, screaming in agony.

 

“It’s working,” Steve said sadly, hating that it had to come to this.

 

"What about the superhero bomb?" Mick wondered.

 

“Wanda took care of that,” Firestorm said as he landed back on the roof. “Barry’s girl is something else.”

 

The Dominators stood up and ran, disappearing in beams of light. The heroes stared after them, shock and disbelief mixed with weariness.

 

"They're retreating," Cisco said over the comms.

 

“She did it,” Oliver said relieved.

 

“No Oliver, we all did it,” Steve disagreed.

 

Star Labs Hanger

Night

 

After the news conference/thank you ceremony (which The Avengers had decided not to attend), everyone had decided to meet back up at the hanger for a celebration.

 

“So, how long have you known?” Barry asked Clint as they each had a glass of Champaign.

 

“I put it together a few days after we got here. I broke a vase in the apartment. I slept on the couch that night,” Clint mused.

 

“And you’re okay with it?” Barry asked uncertainly.

 

“Hell no,” Clint said immediately, fixing Barry with a stern stare that had Barry squirming. “But, I figured this was where you and Wanda were headed. Although I didn’t think you two would be having kids for years. And I thought you’d be married. And I certainly didn’t think we’d be criminals on our earth, but when life gives you lemons right?”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Barry asked.

 

“I liked watching you freak out over telling me,” Clint smirked before getting serious. “Do right by Wanda and the kid. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.”

 

Barry paled as Clint walked off. The scary thing was that Barry believed him from the bottom of his heart.

 

“Are you okay?”  Cisco asked as he walked up to Barry.

 

“Fine, yeah,” Barry said as he shook his head.

 

“So, you’re gonna be a dad,” Cisco said and Barry nodded. “I’m happy for you.”

 

“Really? Because for the past few weeks, you can barely stand to be in the same room as me,” Barry said and Cisco winced.

 

“I deserved that,” Cisco acknowledged. “I was so angry about Dante; I never asked myself what you’d been through. What you were putting yourself through. I’m sorry…for how I treated you.”

 

“I don’t blame you. Because you were right. I may not have aimed the gun, or loaded it, but I pulled the trigger,” Barry sighed. “We have great powers Cisco, but there are consequences to using them. That’s a lesson I learned the hard way and I hope you never have to learn it. So…are we good?”

 

“Yeah, we’re good. So, I’m godfather right?” Cisco asked and Barry laughed.

 

Caitlin watched from a distance, smiling as the two most important people in her life finally seemed to make peace. Steve approached from behind, following her gaze and smiling slightly as he saw Barry and Cisco laughing together.

 

“It’s good they made up. I know it was one of the things that haunted Barry the most on our earth, never making things right with Cisco,” Barry said and Caitlin nodded.

 

“Even though he wouldn’t admit it, I could tell it bothered Cisco as well to be at odds like that with Barry,” Caitlin said and noticed Steve didn’t have a glass. “Not up for celebrating?”

 

“I can’t drink,” Steve said.

 

“Like Barry?” Caitlin asked.

 

“Not quite like Barry, but, yeah, I can’t get drunk. Trust me, I tried,” Steve said with a faraway look.

 

“Are you okay?” Caitlin asked gently and Steve shook his head.

 

“Yeah, fine. Just…The Dominators, they showed me what I always wanted but…the guy who wanted all that went into the ice over seventy years ago. I once said someone different came out, but I think I’m just starting to realize how much that is true,” Steve told her with a thoughtful look on his face.

 

“And who are you now?” Caitlin asked and Steve chuckled.

 

“You’ll be the first to know once I figure that out,” Steve promised and she smiled.

 

“I look forward finding out. But just for the record, this guy? He doesn’t seem so bad,” Caitlin said before kissing Steve on the check.

 

Caitlin then walked off as Steve stared after her for a moment before moving off to find Natasha and Sam.

 

“I never knew anyone could outdrink Mick,” Sara said as Mick laid passed out in a chair.

 

“I’m Russian,” Natasha smirked before she took a drink.

 

“I think you and I are gonna get along great,” Sara smirked.

 

“I doubt it, considering how you treated my friend,” Natasha said coolly and Sara winced.

 

“I know, I should apologize to Barry. I’m going to,” Sara promised.

 

“Good. I don’t like it when people go after my friends. You should know that about me,” Natasha smirked and Sara felt a shiver go down her spine as Natasha took another drink.

 

A little later, Barry, Sara, Steve, and Kara walked out of the hanger.

 

“Ready to see if Cisco’s gadget works?” Barry asked Kara.

 

"Let's see. And remember, if you guys ever need me, I'm just a breach away," Kara told them.

 

“That goes both ways,” Barry told her and she smiled.

 

Kara walked forward and pressed the button on the device. It appeared to work, as a small breached opened up before them. Kara walked into to it and it closed behind her.

 

“And I thought aliens were weird,” Steve mentioned.

 

“Trust me, you haven’t seen weird,” Sara chuckled before looking over at Barry. “Barry, um, I just wanted to say…I said a few things that I shouldn’t have when I found out about Flashpoint.”

 

“You didn’t say anything I haven’t said to myself over the last year Sara. It’s fine,” Barry assured her.

 

“Even so, I was out of line. I’m sorry,” Sara said but Barry waved her off.

 

“No, you really weren’t. But I appreciate it anyway,” Barry said gratefully as Natasha walked out.

 

“Any of you seen Clint? We can’t seem to find him,” Natasha said.

 

“No. And it’s not like Clint to leave without saying anything,” Steve noted.

 

“No. And come to think of it, I haven’t seen Oliver in a while either…you don’t think…” Barry trailed off as he looked over at Sara.

 

“Knowing Ollie? Probably,” Sara smirked.

 

In a warehouse in the city, two targets were set up. Oliver and Clint, each with a bow notched with an arrow, stood several feet back.

 

“On the count of three. One,” Oliver began.

 

“Two,” Clint continued.

 

“Three!” The said in sync as they let the drawstring go and the arrows flew free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It really baffles me why Cisco needed to go with Sara in the Waveridder. What exactly did Cisco do other than to be a running commentary? Absolutely nothing, so why did Cisco need to go when he would have been more useful at the hanger? Don’t answer that, I already know the answer.
> 
> I hope the final fight scene was okay, I tried to include everyone but I just know some characters got sidelined. 
> 
> One of the most annoying things about the crossover is that no one ever apologizes to Barry for the way they all gang up on him. It’s rather irritating but, considering these writers, not surprising.


	46. Savitar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Flash and The Avengers start researching Savitar as Joe puts his foot down with Iris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for those of you who are Interested, my Arrow spinoff has been posted. It’s called ‘A love of two earths’ if you want to check it out.

A few days had passed since The Dominator Invasion, as the press was calling it. Every news station in the world was buzzing about the existence of aliens in the universe. Iris was having a field day being able to write about it.

Now that the news had broken that Wanda was expecting, it seemed everyone had a reaction. Joe was over the moon about being a grandfather and was already planning to turn Barry’s old room into a nursery once they had found other living arrangements for Natasha and Steve. Wally had been taken back at first but seemed excited at the prospect of being an uncle. HR…well, he was HR.

The only person who reacted negatively was Iris, which Barry admitted he wasn’t surprised about. She had since refused to step foot in Star Labs and was refusing to speak to Barry. Barry was sad that his and Iris’ relationship was so broken but he couldn’t bring himself to regret loving Wanda or their child.

Star Labs  
Morning

Steve got off the elevator, being the last to arrive at Star Labs this morning.

“Hey Cap,” Barry said as he and Wanda approached their leader.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late, went for a run,” Steve said and the couple shot him alarmed looks.

“Steve, it’s freezing outside,” Barry pointed out.

“Barry, I spent almost seventy years frozen in ice. I think I can handle some cold weather,” Steve told him.

“Fair point,” Barry shrugged as they led Steve into the cortex.

“Wow,” Steve said as he noticed all the decorations HR had put up. “Looks like Christmas is the same on every earth then.”

“Same traditions are multiversal Captain,” HR said with a twirl of his drumsticks. 

Steve grimaced, his former title feeling wrong. 

“So, I know a lot has happened since I’ve been back, but did you guys dig up anymore Intel on Savitar?” Barry asked, seeing Steve’s discomfort.

“Nope. All we know is that he’s a speed god and you’re the only one who can see him,” Caitlin supplied.

“Alchemy is Savitar’s high priest. He gets his powers from the stone he uses to turn people into Metas. If we can figure out what that thing is, maybe we can figure out how to stop him,” Barry suggested.

“I like that, let me see if I can dig something up,” Cisco said as he stood up.

Unnoticed to everyone else, Cisco seemed to freeze before he shook it off, heading to the computers.

“This Savitar is one of the things you said you wanted to take care of when you came back here?” Wanda asked and Barry nodded.

“I know it’s Christmas and we should just enjoy ourselves, but I have to stop him before he hurts anyone else,” Barry told her and she smiled softly as she took his hand.

“You feel it is your responsibility. I understand,” Wanda said before Cisco spoke up.

“I got a dissertation here from Oxford University about the myth of an ancient Hindu weapon called the Brahmastra. Legendary artifact with incredible powers capable of-wait for it-”

“Creating Metahumans,” Steve finished and Cisco nodded.

“Creating Metahumans,” Cisco echoed.

“Guys, that looks just like Alchemy’s stone,” Caitlin said as she got a look at the paper.

“More importantly, look who wrote this paper,” Cisco said as he pulled up a picture on the big screen.

“Julian,” Barry said surprised.

“Who’s Julian?” Steve inquired.

“He and I used to work together at the CCPD,” Barry said.

“He’s also the reason Barry doesn’t work there anymore,” Cisco grumbled.

“What?” Steve asked confused.

“When I went a little…crazy with my powers, I kidnapped Julian to make him help me find Alchemy,” Caitlin said guilty. “Barry made a deal with Julian that he would resign and in exchange, Julian wouldn’t report me or my powers.”

“And I’d make that decision again. It wasn’t you Cait,” Barry assured her.

“Wasn’t it?” Caitlin asked before she got up and walked off.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Cisco said as he stood up.

“Mind if I handle this one?” Steve asked and Cisco paused.

“Let him try. He’s usually pretty good at reaching people in dark places,” Barry said with Wanda nodding.

Cisco shrugged and Steve walked after Caitlin.

“You get the feeling something’s going on there?” Cisco asked.

“Could be, but that’s a problem for another time. I gotta go talk to Julian,” Barry said, giving Wanda a kiss on the cheek before walking off. 

Steve found Caitlin in the hallway, a hand over her mouth as she obviously struggled to gain control of her emotions. 

“Barry’s right,” Steve said and Caitlin, startled, turned around to face him. “Whatever you did, it wasn’t you.”

“How can you possibly know that? You weren’t here,” Caitlin said emotionally.

“No, but I feel I’ve gotten a good sense of who you are while I’ve been here. And the person I’m seeing in front of me doesn’t seem capable of hurting anyone, at least not on purpose,” Steve said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Barry said something to me once: We’re not gods, we make mistakes. Those mistakes have consequences Caitlin, but feeling sorry for ourselves won’t help.”

“I’m just so afraid of what these powers will do to me,” Caitlin said as she stared down at her hands. “Or somebody else.”

“I understand that, but you need to be able to control that fear. Because if you don’t, you could make a mistake that you can’t come back from,” Steve warned her.

“Like Barry did with Flashpoint?” Caitlin said softly and Steve nodded. “Thank you…for the advice.”

Steve nodded with a smile and Caitlin, to his surprise, hugged him before kissing him on the cheek and heading back to the cortex.

West house  
Late morning

“And these are the presents for the Christmas part tonight,” Clint said as he gave Joe a bag.

“How did you afford this?” Joe asked surprised and Clint smirked.

“It’s amazing what Lyla is willing to pay for when you save the world from aliens,” Clint joked and Joe laughed. “Seriously though, if we’re gonna stay here for the time being, I need to find a job. Any suggestions?”

“I think we have a few openings at the precinct. I’ll see what I can do,” Joe promised.

Clint nodded in thanks when his phone went off. Digging it out, he saw a text from Steve.

“Well duty calls. They need me down at Star Labs. See you tonight,” Clint said as he waved at Joe.

He made his way to the door and walked out as Iris made her way down the stairs.

“He gone?” Iris asked and Joe sighed.

“You know, they don’t deserve to be treated like that. Barry’s the one you have issues with, not his friends. I raised you better than that,” Joe scolded her.

“So what, am I supposed to make nice with them, try and forget the fact that they are the reason I lost Barry?” Iris snapped and Joe looked at her in disapproval.

“You lost Barry because he chose to move on with his life in a time when he thought he would never see us again. I know that hurts and I am sorry for that baby, but Barry and Wanda are starting a life together, starting a family together, and nothing is going to stop that from happening,” Joe told her.

“Thank you for the reminder,” Iris said stiffly before turning around. “I’m going to work for a bit.”

“You know, I thought there was nothing you could do to make me ashamed of you,” Iris stopped as Joe spoke up. “I was wrong. Because the way you’ve been acting the last few weeks…that’s not how I raised you. I don’t recognize you and I don’t like this person you’re turning into, so full of bitterness and anger. You need to find a way to deal with the fact that you lost Barry, because I am putting my foot down. I’m not gonna let you treat Barry’s friends this way anymore.”

Star Labs  
Afternoon

After Barry had talked with Julian, who seemed to know nothing (although Barry found it odd that Julian was so defensively and insistent that Barry stop looking into Savitar) Barry had decided to get help from another speedster. Hence heading to Earth-3 to get Jay. 

“Savitar was the very first Speedster,” Jay explained to Team Flash and The Avengers as they all assembled in the cortex. “And over time, he became the god of motion, the fastest of us all. Before Savitar graces an earth with his presence, he sends a predecessor to prepare for his arrival.”

“Alchemy,” Natasha noted and Jay nodded.

“What’s he preparing for?” Barry inquired.

“A battle, with you. I can’t believe you’ve grown powerful enough to challenge him,” Jay said with equal parts worry and pride.

“Why Barry?” Clint demanded.

“My best guess is that Barry has grown so powerful Savitar feels threatened,” Jay said.

“Lucky me,” Barry said sarcastically as Wanda took his hand.

“You won’t be alone,” she assured him.

“I don’t think it’s that simple Miss Maximoff,” Jay said and they looked over at him. “If Savitar’s come for Barry once, he’ll come for him again.”

“Then I’ll be ready for him,” Barry said firmly.

“No man, we’ll be ready for him,” Sam said and Barry smiled in appreciation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt like a good stopping point, next chapter will have more developments. 
> 
> So, Iris has clearly passed denial and gone to anger.


	47. Flash of two earths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe forces Barry and Iris to talk about their issues. Iris gives Barry an important clue regarding Julian, leading Barry to a shocking revelation.

After reading every book available on Hindu mythology and coming up empty on Savitar, Barry, after some advice from Jay, decided to take a break from researching and decided to go spend some time with those he loved. However, before he could head over to the Bartons, where Wanda was, he got a text from Joe, telling him he needed to see him at the house. 

West House  
Night

“Joe, what’s going on?” Barry asked as he walked in and saw Joe sitting in the chair and Iris on the couch. 

“Sit down Bar, we need to talk,” Joe requested and although he would rather be literally anywhere else, Barry still did as he was told, sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Iris. “I’ve let this go on for two long. You two, you have problems because you decided to begin a relationship and it ended. Neither one of you is to blame for that, but this can’t go on because it’s tearing our family apart. So, I’m going to head to the kitchen and you two are going to talk. And neither one of you is leaving until we resolve this issue.”

Joe got up and went to the kitchen leaving his children alone. Barry sighed and looked over at Iris.

“When I ended it with you, I didn’t expect you to take your frustrations over it out on my friends and Wanda. She told me about you demanding she leave,” Barry said and Iris had the decency to look ashamed. 

“I admit I’m not proud of that. But it feels like you just…replaced us with this new family and new girl in your life,” Iris said and Barry shook his head.

“Wanda was never a replacement for you and The Avengers were never a replacement for Team Flash. They took me in when I had nothing and no one. I never stopped thinking about you guys but I had to move on. I love you Iris, but I was never in love with you. I didn’t know what love was until I was away from you to experience what really falling in love felt like,” Barry said and Iris was visibly hurt. “I’m not saying this to hurt you; I’m just being honest Iris. I fell in love with Wanda because of her, not because of any desire to replace you. For months, I wouldn’t even look at another woman. My feelings for Wanda took me completely by surprise. I’m sorry that you’re hurting, but I’m not sorry that I found Wanda.”

“Was there anything I could have done to make a difference?” Iris asked softly and Barry shook his head.

“You didn’t do anything that made me love you any less or more. I love who I love and nothing and no one is going to change that,” Barry told her earnestly. 

“Okay…okay,” Iris said, nodding as a few tears slipped down her face. “I’ve been so angry, I’ve been blaming Wanda and your Avenger friends for what happened between us. But it’s not their fault.”

“It’s not anyone’s fault Iris, it’s just the way things are. I am sorry that I hurt you, but I won’t apologize for loving Wanda and wanting a future with her and our child,” Barry said firmly and Iris nodded.

“And you shouldn’t have to. I see now how unfair I’ve been. Just…just be happy Barry,” Iris and Barry nodded. “Before you go, um, dad told me about Julian’s archeological dig, I did some digging of my own. Turns out four scientists were killed in an exuviation in India and Julian was the point person.”

“He didn’t motion that…he was hiding something,” Barry realized as he got to his feet. “Thank you Iris, you’ve been a huge help.”

Barry sped out, leaving Iris behind, putting a hand to her face as she began to cry in full.

Star Labs  
Moments later

“Julian lied,” Barry said as he sped into the cortex, startling Cisco, Jay, Steve, Sam, and Natasha, HR, and Wally. “I think he found the stone during his archeological dig.”

“You think he’s working with Alchemy?” Sam inquired.

“I don’t know, but he’s definitely hiding something,” Barry said as Cisco’s computer beeped.

“Jay, we’ve got a hit,” Cisco said as Jay looked over his shoulder. “There’s energy coming from the top of the Schults building. That’s the stone.”

“What’s the plan Allen?” Natasha asked.

“You guys won’t able to see him, which severely limits your ability to help. Besides, you probably won’t get there in time. The building is near Clint and Laura’s apartment, have him and Wanda meet us there. Jay, you ready for this?” Barry asked as he looked at Jay.

‘Yeah,” Jay nodded.

“What about me? I can help,” Wally insisted.

“I know you can, and you have come very far in a short amount of time, but you are still too green to be dealing with someone like Savitar,” Barry said as he put a hand on Wally’s shoulder. “Stay here, you’ll be backup if Jay or I really need it. But not until I give the order.”

Without waiting for Wally to argue, Barry and Jay sped off.

Central City  
Moments later

“It’s over Alchemy!” Barry shouted as he and Jay, dressed in their suits, appeared on the scene.

Alchemy’s followers fled as Alchemy turned around to face them. They heard lightning behind them and Barry and Jay whirled around as Savitar appeared in front of them.

“Please tell me you’re seeing him,” Barry begged.

“Oh I see him,” Jay said as Savitar roared, taking a threatening step closer to Barry.

“We have to take him together,” Barry said.

“No, I’ll distract him, you get that stone!” Jay argued.

Barry wanted to argue but he didn’t have time. Savitar picked up Jay and sped off. Knowing he only had one option now, Barry turned around to face Alchemy. Alchemy powered up, being surrounded by blue energy as was the dome of the building. Barry sped passed him, running around in circles on the dome in order to build up the energy he needed. Barry threw a lightning bolt at Alchemy. It hit Alchemy and he flew back, dropping the stone.

Elsewhere in the city, Savitar had thrown Jay around like a rage doll. Jay was on the ground in an alley as Savitar deployed a spike from his arm.

“This is not your fight Garrick,” Savitar hissed as he inched the spike closer to Jay.

Except suddenly, he was glowing with red energy and thrown back.

“Get away from him,” Wanda hissed as she walked forward, Clint by her side, his bow drawn as his eyes searched wildly.

“Why can’t I see him?” Clint wondered.

“Better question is why can she?” Jay muttered.

Back at the Schults building, Alchemy was beginning to get up when Barry sped in and punched him in the face, hard. Alchemy went down, out cold, and Barry put the stone back in the box and closed it.

In the alley, Wanda was preparing to fight Savitar when, to the shock of her and Jay, he disappeared in a flash of lightning.

“Where’d he go?” Wanda asked confused.

Back at the building, Barry pulled off as Alchemy’s mask and, to his shock, stared down at the face of Julian Albert.

“Julian? Why?” Barry asked stunned, feeling the sting of betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be much longer than this, I promise.
> 
> Iris has now moved passed anger and bargaining and onto depression. So no more bitchy Iris, in case anyone was annoyed by that.
> 
> The reason Wanda was able to see Savitar is because the baby is half speedster, giving Wanda access to The Speed Force through the baby. Hope that makes sense.


	48. Savitar and Alchemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delving deeper into the connection between Julian and Savitar, the team comes to a startling conclusion. Someone sees a horrible vision of the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, here is a chapter I have been wanting to write for a while now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Star Labs

Night

 

Julian opened his eyes, disoriented, as he became aware of his surroundings. He was in a strange room, handcuffed to a pipe. A redheaded woman was in the room with him, staring down at him stoically.

 

“Where am I? Who are you? What’s going on?” Julian, demanded, moving to stand but the handcuff pulled him back down.

 

“In order, you’re in a secret base, my name is Natasha Romanoff, and as for why are you’re here, that’s the kicker,” Natasha said as she sat down in a chair and crossed her legs. “We know you’re Alchemy.”

 

“What?” Julian asked appearing stunned.

 

“Alchemy, guy who kidnaps people, turns them into Metahumans, worships this guy called Savitar,” Natasha listed.

 

“I’m sorry, still not following. You think I’m Alchemy? That’s absurd,” Julian dismissed as Natasha stood up, pulling out Alchemy’s mask.

 

“This is the mask of the man who calls himself Alchemy. You were caught wearing it. How do you explain that?” Natasha demanded.

 

“You, you’re trying to set me up,” Julian said, turning paranoid. “Who the hell are you? FBI? CIA?”

 

“I’m gonna leave you alone for a while, see if you feel like talking after a little alone time,” Natasha said as she got up and walked towards the door.

 

“I want my phone call, when do I get my phone call?” Julian demanded as Natasha shut the door.

 

“How are you feeling Jay?” Barry asked as he walked into the med bay, where Caitlin was checking him over.

 

“Not too bad for a guy who got beat up by a myth,” Jay quipped and Barry smiled.

 

“He just needs some rest, but he’ll be fine,” Caitlin assured him and he nodded.

 

“You stopped him, well done Barry,” Jay praised.

 

“It was nice having you out there with me,” Barry said and Jay smiled.

 

“Yeah, I never had a sidekick before,” Jay said jokingly and Barry chuckled.

 

“Oh, I’m your sidekick?” Barry asked.

 

“Well, as the senior partner,” Jay began.

 

“Senior citizen is more like it,” Barry joked and the two chuckled.

 

“I bet your dad would have been proud of you,” Jay mentioned and Barry’s good mood evaporated.

 

“Yeah. Listen um, why don’t just take it easy. I’ll see you later,” Barry said quickly before leaving.

 

As Jay stared after him, a little guilty for opening an old wound, Caitlin pat his shoulder.

 

“He knows you weren’t trying to hurt him. But the loss of a parent is one of the hardest things to get over, trust me,” Caitlin told him.

 

“You okay?” Clint asked as Barry walked into the cortex here he, Wanda, Cisco, Natasha, Sam, and Steve were waiting.

 

“Fine. So Nat, you’re usually pretty good at reading people. What do you think?” Barry asked.

 

“If this Julian is playing a game, he sure is dedicated to whatever role he’s playing. I think he’s telling the truth,” Natasha said and Barry nodded.

 

“Alright, what about this box? Cisco, you figured anything out about it yet?” Barry inquired.

 

“It’s nothing,” Cisco said ominously.

 

“It has to be something,” Steve argued and Cisco shook his head.

 

“No, I mean the box is literally nothing. I’ve run it through every test I could possible think of, not a single reading. Nothing. It’s like the box doesn’t even exist,” Cisco said bewildered as The Avengers exchanged confused glances.

 

“How is that possible?” Wanda asked and Cisco shrugged.

 

“Figuring that out might be the first clue we have to Savitar,” Steve noted and Barry nodded.

 

“Well, while we try to figure that out, maybe we should focus on Julian,” Sam noted.

 

“Maybe the reason Julian thinks he isn’t Alchemy is because he doesn’t remember it,” Steve said and Barry looked over at him. “When Zemo activated Bucky, afterwards Bucky didn’t remember anything.”

 

Barry pulled up his cowl and sped into the room Julian was currently being held in. Julian jumped as he saw The Flash, his entire being vibrating.

 

“Have you been blacking out recently?” Barry demanded, his voice disguised by the vibrating in his body. “Losing time, waking up somewhere different with no idea of how you got there?”

 

“No,” Julian said but Barry could tell he was holding something back. “I’ve had enough of these baseless accusations, especially from The Flash, the hero. The great hero!”

 

“Julian, I’m trying to help you! But I need you to trust me,” Barry tried to reason with him.

 

“Says the man in a mask,” Julian said dryly and Barry sighed.

 

“If that’s the only way you’ll trust me, then fine,” Barry said and pulled back his cowl.

 

Julian started, staring at Barry in stunned shock for a few seconds. Then, his face morphed into one of anger and that of someone who had been betrayed by one who you trusted.

 

“I should have known. It all makes sense now. The unexplained absences, your passion for Metas, your general thumbing your nose at authority. I’m sure you had a good laugh behind my back,” Julian said bitterly.

 

“Believe it or not Julian, there were a few times where I actually wished I could have told you,” Barry said honestly.

 

“So why tell me now?” Julian demanded.

 

“Because I need you to trust me Julian. You are Alchemy; I just don’t think you’re aware of it. Now, have you been blacking out?” Barry demanded.

 

“Yes,” Julian in a small, quiet voice.

 

“When did it start? Let me guess, when you found the stone?” Barry asked and Julian sighed.

 

“My sister, Emma, died when I was twenty. It really broke the family the up you know? Mom and dad weren’t speaking; they wouldn’t even stay at the house. One day, I was there alone and she came back to me. She stood right in front of me, clear as day- a ghost or a vision, I don’t know, but she was real,” Julian explained.

 

“What happened?” Barry asked.

 

“She told me about the stone, where to find it; she told me if I got it, it would bring us back together again. At that point mate, I would have done anything to have her back,” Julian said thickly and Barry nodded.

 

“I can relate,” Barry said thinking of Flashpoints.

 

“So, I mounted an expedition to India. Days we searched, weeks, nothing. And then we found it,” Julian said with a haunted look in his eyes. “The next thing I remember, I woke up in my hotel room. I…didn’t remember anything, and that’s when the blackout’s started. There was a news report saying that every other member of my team had been found, dead at the site. I panicked, I thought they were gonna blame me for their deaths, so I ran. I ran to America.”

 

“What happens when you black out Julian? What happens?” Barry asked.

 

“I hear a voice and then, nothing,” Julian sighed. “You’re telling me that I become Alchemy during these blackouts? But…he’s a monster; he’s been terrorizing people for years!”

 

“Julian, he’s not you, just like it wasn’t you back at that dig. Julian, I know this is hard to believe, but you need to accept what is happening to you,” Barry told him.

 

In the cortex, Steve was walking in as Caitlin sat at the computer. Caitlin looked up and saw him.

 

“Hey,” Caitlin said and Steve nodded.

 

“Hey,” Steve said.

 

“Look, um, I wanted to thank you for what you said this morning. It helped,” Caitlin thanked him and Steve smiled.

 

“I’m glad,” Steve said.

 

Caitlin returned the smile when she saw something on the screen of the computer. Paling, she pulled out her phone and tented Barry.

 

In the room with Julian, Barry’s phone buzzed with a text. Frowning, he pulled it out.

 

‘Cisco’s work shop! He opened the box!’ his phone read.

 

Paling, Barry turned and sped off. He sped into Cisco’s workshop, where he saw Cisco, appearing in a trance, staring down at the box that seemed to glow with a blue like energy. Behind Cisco stood Savitar.

 

“Bow to your god,” Savitar said before grabbing Barry and speeding off.

 

In the cortex, Steve and Caitlin watched horrified on the screen as Barry was pummeled by a force they couldn’t see.

 

“What’s going on?” Clint asked as he, Wanda, Wally, Jay, and Natasha walked in, seeing what was happening on the screen.

 

“Savitar,” Wanda said, being the only one besides Jay and Wally who could see the armored speedster.

 

“Cisco opened the box,” Caitlin said in a hurry.

 

“Barry needs help,” Jay said but groaned in pain as he moved to go.

 

“You’re still hurt Mr. Garrick. Wally, go assist Barry. The rest of you, follow me. We need to get the box from Cisco,” Steve ordered.

 

“Wait, take me with you kid,” Clint told Wally as he pulled out his bow.

 

Wally nodded, grabbing Clint and speeding away as Steve, Wanda, and Natasha raced out of the room and in the direction of Cisco’s workshop.

 

In the speed lab, Barry was thrown across the room, landing hard on his back. Wally raced in, setting Clint down.

 

“I can see him,” Wally said as he laid eyes on Savitar.

 

“Where is he?” Clint asked as he notched an arrow.

 

“Right there,” Wally said as he pointed at Savitar.

 

Clint nodded, firing the arrow.  It hit Savita and exploded.

 

“Did that hurt him?” Clint asked.

 

When the smoke cleared, Savitar was seemingly unaffected. Savitar then turned around and roared at them.

 

“Not really,” Wally said a little panicked.

 

Savitar then sped over, grabbing Clint and throwing him to the side. As Clint hit the wall, hard, dropping his bow, Savitar grabbed Wally and threw him over by Barry.

 

In Cisco’s workshop, Steve, Wanda, and Natasha burst in, seeing Cisco with the box.

 

“Ramon, put the box down and close it,” Natasha ordered.

 

“I’m gonna save Dante,” Cisco said, ignoring her.

 

“Cisco, whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real. It’s Savitar, playing on your vulnerably,” Steve tried to reach him.

 

“You’re a good brother Cisco,” Dante/Savitar whispered in Cisco’s ear.

 

“Cisco put the box down, please,” Steve said as he took a tentative step towards Cisco.

 

“I won’t lose him again,” Cisco said as he held up a hand as if preparing to Vibe blast Steve. “I won’t lose my brother again!”

 

“Cisco, I’m sorry about this,” Wanda said as her hands glowed.

 

Wanda sent a low powered energy blast at Cisco. It hit him in the chest and he flew into the table, going over it as he dropped the box, the stone falling out. Steve raced over, putting the stone in the box and closing it.

 

In the speed lab, Savitar had deployed the spikes in his arms and was stepping over to Barry and Wally when he disappeared in a flash of light.

 

“You okay?” Barry asked Wally in a groan.

 

“Fine,” Wally said cheerfully.

 

“That’s the adrenaline talking. Clint, you alright?” Barry asked as he sat up.

 

“I’ve lived through worse,” Clint said as he pulled himself to his feet.

 

Later, everyone had gathered in the cortex, Barry sitting down as they all stared at the box.

 

“You three sure you’re okay?” Steve asked as he looked at Barry, Clint, and Wally.

 

“Bumps and bruises Cap, I’m more worried about this thing,” Clint said as he gave the box a distasteful look.

 

“It obviously has the power to mess with our heads,” Sam said and Cisco winced.

 

“Cisco,” Barry said and Cisco looked over at him. “If we can’t use this box, Julian might be our only link to Savitar.”

 

“I think we can use both of them. If Caitlin’s right and this thing messes with brainwaves, I have a plan,” Cisco said.

 

Later, they all stood in the speed lab, Julian in a chair as Cisco  was preparing a machine.

 

“So what am I doing here?” Julian asked.

 

“Julian, today when I was fighting Savitar, he and Alchemy have the same voice. I don’t think there is an Alchemy. I think it’s Savitar, speaking through you,” Barry explained.

 

“Savitar clearly possess someone who rallies worshippers,” Caitlin added.

 

“But he’s like a poltergeist, he needs a medium to manifest himself,” Cisco added.

 

“You,” Barry finished.

 

“So each time this Savitar comes to an earth, he possess someone? This is just getting weirder and weirder,” Sam muttered.

 

“Weirdness aside, what does that mean?” Julian asked.

 

“We think we figured out a way to sync your brain to the stone,” Caitlin explained.

 

“Which should allow us to speak directly to Savitar,” Cisco continued.

 

“If you want to be free of this, you need to trust us,” Barry told the obviously hesitant Julian.

 

I’ve never liked you Allen,” Julian said as he looked over at Barry. “Having a little séance with your friends isn’t going to change that.”

 

“We don’t need to like each other Julian, but we need to trust each other if we want to stop Savitar,” Barry told him and Julian sighed.

 

“Alright, we’ll try it,” Julian gave in.

 

“Deep breaths,” Cisco said as he put a helmet that reminded Barry of Cerebro from X-Men. “Count backwards from ten.”

 

Julian started to count but hadn’t even finished ten before he passed out. Cisco snapped his fingers in front of Julian’s face but he was out cold.

 

“So how long until this works?” Natasha inquired.

 

“We’re not sure,” Caitlin began. “It could take a minute for his brainwaves to-”

 

She cut off as Julian came to with a scream. However, when he spoke, the voice of Savitar came out of his mouth.

 

“Hello Barry,” Julian/Savitar said as he looked at the speedster. “It’s been a while.”

 

“Savitar,” Barry greeted coolly as Julian/Savitar took a look around at The Avengers and Team Flash.

 

“None of you are on your knees. It’s a smart move to bow before a deity,” Julian/Savitar warned them.

 

“There’s only one god, you aren’t him,” Steve said firmly and Julian/Savitar gave a chilling smirk.

 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that Steve,” Julian/Savitar said, taking them all by surprise.

 

“You know who I am?” Steve found his voice.

 

“I know all of you, Sam, Clint, Natasha, Caitlin, Cisco, Wanda, Wally, the fake Wells, even Joe and Iris. I know your fears, I know your weaknesses, I know you better than you know yourselves. I know your destinies. You call yourselves The Avengers, but you are nothing! You will all fall by my hand! The reign of The Avengers has come to an end!” Julian/Savitar ranted, disturbing them all.

 

“Who are you?” Barry demanded and Julian/Savitar laughed evilly.

 

“I am the one enemy you can’t defeat Barry. The one enemy no one can defeat,” Julian/Savitar promised.

 

“Then why haven’t you come and defeated us all already?” Wally demanded.

 

“It’s because he can’t,” Wanda realized. “You’re waiting for something.”

 

“You did this to me,” Julian/Savitar said as he stared straight ahead at Wally. “You Wally, you trapped me in eternity. Your future self, you did this to me!”

 

“Me?” Wally asked stunned.

 

“And now the age of my freedom is at hand. You will feel my wrath, the wrath of Savitar!” Julian/Savitar ranted.

 

Having had enough, Barry turned off the device and Julian came back to himself.

 

“Did it work?” Julian asked.

 

Later, everyone was in the cortex, freaked out by what they’d seen.

 

“Do you think what he said was true? About The Avengers falling by his hand?” Wanda asked softly.

 

“I don’t know,” Steve sighed. “But worrying about it won’t help us. We need to make sure he never gets out of where he’s trapped.”

 

“How do we do that?” Clint wondered.

 

“The stone,” Jay said as he walked in.

 

“Jay’s right, the stone’s been the key to everything. It’s how he controlled Julian, it’s how he’s created more Metas,” Barry said.

 

“So we destroy the stone and Savitar is gone for good. Simple,” Natasha shrugged.

 

“It can’t be destroyed. I mean it’s been around forever, there’s a reason for that,” Julian pointed out.

 

“Why don’t we just put it back in the ground, where it came from?” Wally asked.

 

“Someone would just find it again and we’d be back where we started,” Clint pointed out.

 

“We need to make the box disappear forever, somewhere it can never be found. There’s only one way to do that: Throw it into the speed force,” Jay said to their surprise.

 

“Wait, you can do that?” Wally asked.

 

“Oh yeah. The Speed Force is eternity, an endless void of time and energy,” Jay said and Barry whipped his head towards Jay.

 

“What’d you just say?” Barry asked hoarsely and they all looked at him confused.

 

“The Speed Force is eternity, an endless void of time and energy,” Jay repeated.

 

“Eternity,” Barry repeated and Steve and Natasha’s eyes widened.

 

“My god,” Steve whispered.

 

“What?” Cisco asked as they all looked confused.

 

“Savitar said Wally’s future self trapped him in eternity. Savitar is trapped in the Speed Force,” Natasha said and everyone’s eyes widened.

 

“Okay, so if we put the stone in the Speed Force-” Cisco began.

 

“Savitar would escape,” Wanda finished.

 

“So that’s a definite no then,” Clint said.

 

“But then what do we do with the stone?” Sam asked and Barry had a thoughtful look on his face.

 

“If we can’t make it disappear, then we can put it some place where no one could get it and get out alive.”

 

Argus base

Later

 

“Put it some place where no can get it and get out alive. Put it some place that even inside help won’t guarantee that,” Barry told Lyla as he handed her the box.

 

“I Know just the place,” Lyla said and Barry held up is hand.

 

“Don’t tell me, I don’t wanna know. No matter what happens, no matter what I or anyone else says, never tell us where that stone is. Guard that secret as closely as you do the lives of Diggle and your child,” Barry warned her.

 

“This thing scares you that much huh?” Lyla asked as she looked at the box.

 

“The box doesn’t scare me, neither does what’s inside. The guy who wants to use it? Yeah, he scares me,” Barry admitted.

 

Star Labs

Same time

 

Cisco is in his workshop, fixing the mess that had been made when he had been under Savitar’s spell, when he gasped as he got a Vibe.

 

_Cisco’s Vibe_

_Cisco found himself on a street of a place he had never been. A great battle had obviously taken place here, as the area was completely trashed. He walked down the street, looking around in horror, wondering what could have done this. He saw a body on the road, an arrow sticking out of its chest. As he approached, he saw in horror whose body it was._

_“Clint?”_

_Clint didn’t respond, he simply looked up at Cisco, his eyes staring without seeing. As Cisco looked up, he saw two more bodies. Tony was on the ground, pale, appearing asleep in his armor, the face visor up to show his pale face. Steve was leaning his back against a building, positioned as though he was sitting down. His face was invisible to Cisco from this angle, but it was obvious it was Steve. It was also obvious like Clint and Tony, Steve was dead._

_“Stop!”_

_Cisco looked forward and saw a scene that, for weeks afterwards, would haunt his nightmares: Barry, dressed in his Flash suit, cowl down, was obviously hurt. He was on his knees, panting as he stared up at something with horror. Savitar was holding Wanda from her back. Wanda was heavily pregnant, seven to eight months, and had a cut along her temple._

_“Please, don’t! I’m begging you!” Barry pleaded desperately._

_“It’s okay Barry, it’s okay,” Wanda choked out, obviously realizing what was about to happen but not wanting Barry to be hurt more than he already was. “There was nothing you could have done. I love you. Thank you…for making me feel how it was to be loved.”_

_“You lose Barry,” Savitar taunted him before he shoved his spike through Wanda’s back and into her chest, into her heart…_

End Vibe

 

Cisco, completely overwhelmed, leaned over the table, causing into to fall down again. Cisco stumbled over to the wall, sliding down in so he was leaning against it as he sat. His breathing was hard and labored as his mind tried desperately to process what he had just seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Barry should have been more affected by Jay telling him his dad would have been proud of him. I mean, it may not be Henry, but it looks and sounds and, in some cases, even acts just like him. That obviously has to affect Barry.
> 
> Now, obviously some things happened differently in the séance, some dialogue was changed and it was Wally, not Barry, who trapped Savitar. This will all make sense when Savitar’s identity is revealed. Because my Savitar is different than the show’s, because I did not like how they handled Savitar at all. Before anyone asks what I mean by that, whether Savitar is an alternate version of Barry or not, you will just have to wait and see.
> 
> Honestly, one of the things that annoys me about this episode is how none of Team Flash was able to figure out Savitar was trapped in the Speed Force. Savitar tells them Barry trapped him in eternity and minutes later, eternity is how Jay describes the Speed Force. At this point, they should just give back all their degrees, they clearly don’t deserve them.


	49. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco reels from his Vibe as Jay offers him some advice on the matter. Iris makes a decision about the future as Cisco gives a generous gift to Barry and Wanda.

Star Labs  
Night

“Cisco?” Jay walked in, seeing Cisco on the floor, traumatized by something. “Are you okay?”

“No, no I’m not,” Cisco said in a trembling voiced as he got to his feet. “I Vibed the future, five, six months from now. Savitar, he gets out of the Speed Force. I saw Steve, Clint, Tony, dead. Savitar, he kills Wanda and the baby.”

“Cisco, calm down,” Jay said as he walked over and put a hand on Cisco’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

“This is what Savitar meant when he said The Avengers would fall by his hand. In five months, he’s gonna kill them, all of them, and leave Barry alive,” Cisco rambled in horror.

“You don’t know that Cisco,” Jay tried to reason.

“I saw it Jay! I saw him murder Wanda and the baby in front of Barry!” Cisco shouted, turning away from Jay in frustration.

“Cisco, just as there are infinite earths, there are infinite possibilities to the future. The future is constantly changing Cisco!” Jay shouted.

“I won’t let this happen! I won’t let my best friend watch the love of his life and his kid be taken from him!” Cisco shouted back. “I was shown this Vibe for a reason; maybe it was to prevent this!”

“And by doing so, maybe you’re setting it all in motion! Nobody should know this much about the future Cisco! Every decision you make could lead to a different outcome!” Jay shouted before softening as he lowered his voice. “Not all your Vibes have come true, have they?”

“No,” Cisco admitted. “So what am I supposed to do with this?”

“Live your life Cisco,” Jay told him simply.

“You say that like it’s so easy,” Cisco spat before storming off.

This conversation weighed heavily on Cisco’s mind as he waited in the cortex with everyone else for Barry to return. When he walked in, everyone looked up. 

“Is it…” Wanda trailed off.

“Lyla said she had a good place to put it and assured me even inside help wasn’t a guarantee that it would be able to get out. I think that’s as good as its gonna get,” Barry said.

Cisco wished he could share his friends’ relief, but all he could see was the dead bodies of The Avengers, Savitar plunging his spike into Wanda’s back as Barry cried out in horror. Cisco barely stopped the shutter that begged to go through his body, knowing it would cause questions. Questions that Cisco wasn’t prepared to answer.

“Guys, come on, its Christmas time!” HR said when he picked up on the somber mood. “We need a little Christmas, right this very minute. Who’s with me? BA?”

“He’s right. It’s Christmas, we should be together,” Barry said as he wrapped an arm around Wanda. “Joe’s still throwing the party tonight. If you guys still want, it’s on.”

“Already promised Laura and the kids. After the whole skiing thing, they’ll never let it go if I cancel on them now,” Clint shrugged.

“I think we could all use some Christmas right now,” Steve noted and Natasha and Sam looked like they agreed.

“Julian, you’re more than welcome to join us,” Barry said as she looked over at his former coworker. 

“I actually prefer to be alone at Christmas,” Julian said curtly as he made his way towards the exit before pausing and looking back. “Thank you though.”

Barry simply nodded as Julian walked out.

West House  
Later

“So, what happened this time?” Laura as she noticed Clint wince after the kids had gone off to talk to Natasha.

“I got thrown into a wall by a god,” Clint said bluntly and Laura simply stared at him. 

“Yeah, I’m not even gonna ask,” Laura said.

“I’m retired, that was an emergency,” Clint said and Laura laughed.

“It’s cute that you think that. You’ll never be retired, not really,” Laura said and Clint looked at her confused. “Steve called and you came running.”

“I didn’t do it for Cap,” Clint justified as his gaze flickered over to Wanda.

“I know you did it to save Wanda from Ross and Stark. But you and I both know you would gone regardless. Every time they need your help, you go running. It’s okay,” Laura said her voice softening as she took his hand. “I knew who you were when I married you.”

“I made a commitment to you and our kids,” Clint said gruffly.

“You also made a commitment to them,” Laura said as she looked around the room at Barry and Wanda on the couch to Steve talking to Caitlin in the corner to Sam and Natasha talking to Lila and Cooper. “It was unfair of me to expect you to choose between your two families. You’ll drop everything to help them just like you’ll drop everything to come to home to us. It’s time we stopped fighting that. We’ll find a way to make it work, we always do.”

“So, our first Christmas together. We stopped the bad guy and we got home in time for Christmas. I’d say we’re doing pretty good so far,” Barry said as he and Wanda sat on the couch.

“I’ve only celebrated one Christmas. But if they’re like this, minus the part of evil gods coming after us, I could get used to this,” Wanda said as she snuggled closer to him.

Barry smiled before he saw Cisco sitting in the chair, deep in thought. Wanda followed his gaze and smirked.

“Go on. He obviously needs you,” Wanda said with a smile.

“You are the best, you know that?” Barry kissed her on the cheek before getting up.

Barry had barely been gone a second when Lila bounced over to her. Lila handed her a drawing and Wanda looked down at it. It was a childish drawing of the Barton family, plus Natasha. However, there was a seventh person in the drawing that Wanda couldn’t figure out. It had what appeared to be long brown hair, Wanda noticed.

“Who’s this sweetie?” Wanda asked, pointing out the seventh figure.

“That’s you,” Lilia said as if it should be obvious, hugging the stunned Wanda.

“Hey,” Barry said as he walked over to Cisco. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Cisco said, shaking his head as if to clear his mind.

“You know, what happened today with Savitar, it wasn’t your fault,” Barry told him, stumbling upon what he believed to be the root of the problem. 

“Yeah, I know,” Cisco said honestly and Barry frowned.

“Cisco, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me, you know?” Barry told him.

Cisco almost spilled it all right there. Almost. But Jay’s words about the future always changing flashed through his mind and, in a decision Cisco had a feeling he’d probably regret, he stomped on the impulse.

“I know,” Cisco said instead.

“Wow, that is strong,” Steve grimaced as he put the eggnog on the table.

“I thought you couldn’t get drunk,” Caitlin laughed.

“I can’t, doesn’t mean I can’t taste the alcohol,” Steve said gruffly.

As Caitlin laughed, Steve saw something hanging above them. Caitlin saw he was looking at something and followed his gaze. There was mistletoe hanging above them. 

“You know, we don’t have to-” Steve began.

Maybe it was the eggnog, maybe it was something else. But whatever the reason, Caitlin grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss. For a moment, the rest of the world faded away. But even in this moment of happiness, Steve’s senses were highly attuned to the world around him, so he heard the grumbling. Steve slowly pulled away from Caitlin, just in time to see Sam hand a bunch of bills to a smirking Natasha as the rest of The Avengers stood before them, watching with amused smirks on their faces.

“Thanks Cap, you just cost me five bucks,” Sam grumbled.

“You bet on this?” Steve asked, not really surprised.

“World’s leading expert in waiting too long, remember Steve?” Natasha asked cheekily as they walked off.

“Just one thing: You hurt her, not even Clint or Nat will be able to find your body,” Barry told him, deathly serious before he walked off with Wanda.

“He’s just joking,” Caitlin tried to assure him.

“No, Barry was completely serious,” Steve said, taking Caitlin by surprise.

Iris was watching all this from the kitchen, a serious look on her face. She looked away, pain in her eyes as she saw Barry press a kiss to the top of Wanda’s head.

“You okay baby?” Joe asked as he walked over.

“No, not really,” Iris sighed.

“Look, I know its gonna take some time, but you’ll find a way to move on,” Joe tried to offer his daughter comfort.

“Except I can’t do that here,” Iris said.

“What?” Joe asked confused.

“I won’t be able to do that here. Like you said, Barry and Wanda, they’re going to start a life together. And seeing that…I’m never gonna be able to move on if I see him building this new future with Wanda,” Iris said sadly.

“Iris, what are you saying?” Joe asked with a sinking feeling.

“The only way for me to really move on…is to leave. Tomorrow, I’m gonna ask my boss for a transfer to Keystone City News,” Iris said to her father’s shock and sadness. “It’s the only way I’m ever gonna be able to move on dad.”

“You sure about this baby?” Joe asked softly and she nodded.

“Yeah, I am,” Iris said as she looked up at him. “Don’t tell them tonight. It’s been long day for them. Don’t let my news take this from them.”

Whatever response Joe would have had was cut off by a knock at the door. Barry walked over and opened the door and was surprised to see who was on the other side.

“Julian, hey, come in,” Barry said, standing aside and letting Julian in, taking his umbrella.

“After everything that happened, being alone felt, well, lonely. Here, this is for you,” Julian said as he handed Barry a golden envelope.

“What is it?” Barry asked as he opened it.

“I spoke to Captain Singh and he hadn’t put through your resignation paperwork yet. So, if you’d like your old lab back. Or if you’d like to share it again,” Julian offered.

Barry singly stared down at the paper for a moment before he out it back in the envelope and handed it back to Julian.

“Thanks Julian, really, but no thanks,” Barry said, taking Julian back.

“I thought you’d be jumping for joy, considering I made you give it up,” Julian pointed out and Barry chuckled.

“So did I when I gave it up. It’s…hard to explain, but I’ve gone through a lot since then and its changed me. I will always treasure my time with the CCPD, but I think it’s time to move on,” Barry explained. “Probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

“No, it makes perfect sense,” Julian told him as he put the envelope back in his pocket. “Merry Christmas mate.”

Carolers arrived soon after and Caitlin took off her bracelet briefly to give them all a White Christmas. 

“Hey,” Cisco said as he walked up to Barry and Wanda. “You guys wanna get out of here? There’s something I wanna show you.”

Barry and Wanda exchanged a look before shrugging.

“Sure man,” Barry agreed.

Central City  
Later

“Okay, where are we Cisco?” Barry asked as Cisco led him and Wanda into a empty apartment.

“Home. Well, your home,’ Cisco explained.

“What?” Wanda asked confused.

“Well, that room you two have been sharing at Star Labs is kind of small for two, plus with a baby on the way, you guys are gonna need space. So, after we dealt with The Dominators, I called my agent and he found this,” Cisco spread his arms wide. “Its two rooms, one for you two and one for the baby. I’ve paid for everything; you guys just need to sign the lease.”

“Cisco, I don’t know what to say,” Barry said stunned.

“Say yes. I don’t know what plan you two have for the future, but for the time being at least, you’re staying here. You two shouldn’t be forced to bunk at Star Labs with a kid on the way,” Cisco said and Wanda smiled.

“Thank you Cisco,” Wanda said as she walked over to him, kissing him on the cheek. 

As Barry walked over and hugged him, Cisco tried to just enjoy the moment. But every time he closes his eyes, all he could see was Savitar plunging his spike into Wanda’s heart as Barry watched in horror.

New York, Earth-66, several weeks later  
Night

Pepper Potts was on the phone, talking to a business associate as her and Tony’s bodyguard and friend, Happy Hogan, was driving the limo. Suddenly, Happy saw a man standing in the middle of the road.

“What the hell?” Happy asked himself.

The man raised what appeared to be a strange looking gun and fired. But rather than any bullet, what appeared to be a disk shot out and attached itself to the bottom of the limo. Before Happy could say anything to Pepper, the car was rocked by an explosion. The car went flying, flipping over and the man calmly stepped aside as the limo landed hard on its roof, the windows shattering. The man walked over to the back window and knelt down. He reached inside, ignoring the dazed Pepper, and pulled out her cell phone. He ended the call and dialed a new number. When he spoke, it was with a Russian accent.

“Tony Stark. You don’t know me. You’re about to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the point where I basically throw away the rest of season three. Because let’s be honest, from this point, the majority of the season sucked. It just sucked so bad. Not as bad as season four, but it sucked.
> 
> Also, this will be Julian’s final appearance in the story, at least that’s the plan, he might make an appearance later on down the line. I liked Julian in the first half of the season, not so much the second half. The writers didn’t seem to know what to do with Julian after they decided not to make him Alchemy for more than a few episodes, so they continued the trend of hooking Caitlin up with random characters. And he and Caitlin were just boring, not to mention it would interfere with the Caitlin/Steve thing I’ve got going on.
> 
> This chapter will for sure mark Iris’ final appearance in the story. I just don’t have any idea what to do with her character anymore and I honestly don’t like her character much anyway, so this is a good time to write her out.
> 
> Now, I know that ending probably shocks some of you and you’re wondering who this mysterious character is. All I’ll say right now is he is from the Captain America comics.


	50. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony deals with the aftermath of the attack on Pepper and Happy as Rhodey makes a difficult decision. Cisco struggles with his Vibe as Clint and Barry adjust to normal life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a whole lot of developments in this chapter, but it’s necessary, as this one will act as set up for the last Arc of the story.

Hospital, Earth-66

Morning

 

Tony was in the waiting room, his tired eyes giving way to the fact that he had been up all night. But he showed no signs of going to sleep or moving his eyes from the door. The doctor came out and Tony jumped to his feet.

 

“How are they?” Tony barked as he stormed over to the doctor.

 

“Mr. Hogan has a minor concussion, some broke ribs, and some bruising. But he will make a full recovery,” the doctor said and a knot in Tony’s stomach loosened sight.

 

But still-

 

“And Pepper?” Tony asked desperately.

 

“Mr. Potts suffered a hard hit to the head, as well as a few broken bones. She had some internal bleeding as well. One of her fractured bones ended up piercing her lung. We did everything we could, but Ms. Potts seized during surgery and we were unable to revive her. I’m very sorry Mr. Stark, but she’s gone,” The doctor said remorsefully.

 

Tony stumbled away towards a wall. He put his hand on it, as if using it to support him, before he slid down to the floor, his back against the wall. Tony stared straight ahead, obvious to the doctor calling his name. The only that mattered in this moment was that Pepper was dead.

 

Barry and Wanda’s apartment, Earth-1

Late morning

 

“Okay kid, let’s do this,” Clint said as he took a deep breath.

 

“You sure we can handle this?” Barry asked, looking at the item in the center of the room with uncertainty and a little fear.

 

“We’re Avengers. We’ve fought aliens, terrorists, and murder bots for crying out loud! I think we can put together a crib,” Clint said as he walked over to the pieces.

 

“That’s what you said about the basinet,” Barry said, shuttering.

 

“That was not a basinet, that was a demon from hell that came to torture us,” Clint said as he looked at the instructions. “You’re a scientist, see if you can figure this out. Because I can’t make any sense of this crap.”

 

Barry sighed before walking over to Clint and taking the instructions. It was going to be a long day.

 

Cisco’s apartment

Same time

 

_You lose Barry!_

With a shaky breath, Cisco took of his Vibe glasses. Still the same, he thought grimly as he put them down. Cisco walked over to a board in the room, which was filled with a lot of pictures and notes. It had pictures of Barry, Wanda, the Avengers, and the words ‘Savitar gets out’ at the top. The irony that this resembled Barry’s board of evidence on his mother’s murder was not lost on him.

 

“I won’t let it happen…I promise,” Cisco said as he gazed up at Barry’s picture.

 

Avengers’ compound, Earth-66

Afternoon

 

“Tony, maybe you should take a break,” Rhodey suggested, worried for his friend.

 

“I’ll take a break when the jackass who murdered Pepper is dead,” Tony said roughly, not looking up from his work.

 

Rhodey would have sighed if he wasn’t so worried for his friend. Since coming back from the hospital, Tony had done nothing but scan the traffic cam footage of that night, determined to get an ID on the man who had attacked Pepper and Happy. While Rhodey could understand Tony’s grief, he was worried about Tony’s mental state.

 

Not only that, but whoever attacked Pepper and Happy had been using weapons that were far beyond military grade. From the witness statements and the police report, it sounded like something Hydra would use. Rhodey just hoped Tony knew what he was doing.

 

Star Labs

Same time

 

Wally groaned as he landed on the floor of the speed lab, hard. Steve offered him a hand up and Wally accepted it.

 

“Damn, I still can’t get you,” Wally grumbled and Steve smiled.

 

“Speed isn’t everything, as you’ve learned,” Steve said as he helped Wally to his feet. “You’ve come very far in the last few months. You should be proud Wally.”

 

“Will I ever be able to beat you guys?” Wally asked.

 

“Don’t judge yourself by using us as a standard.  We all grow at our own paces. Nat, Clint, and I didn’t start off as we are now. It took a long time for us to get to this point. Don’t rush yourself,” Steve patted Wally on the shoulder before walking out of the Speed Lab.

 

Barry and Wanda’s apartment

Same time

 

“Wow, you two actually put it together this time,” Natasha noted as she and Laura inspected the crib.

 

“Yee of little faith,” Clint quipped.

 

“I think we can handle building a crib,” Barry said sounding offended.

 

“You can understand our doubts, considering the basinet,” Laura said as she and Natasha walked out.

 

“That was not a basinet! That was a demon from hell!” Clint called after them before turning to Barry. “We do not tell them we hired a guy to build this.”

 

Barry nodded as he and Clint followed the women out into the kitchen. Wanda was in there, being four months pregnant not stopping her from making dinner, although she allowed Lila and Cooper to help her. A sense of contentment washed over Barry as it dawned on him that this was what true happiness felt like.

 

Avengers’ compound, Earth-66

Late afternoon

 

While Tony was distracted with his work, Rhodey went digging around in his desk. Rhodey didn’t want to do this, but in his mental state, Tony clearly couldn’t be trusted to think rationally. Plus, he wasn’t back to 100% yet, which left only Tony and Vision, maybe this Spider-guy to, to take on whoever killed Pepper and who he was working for. Which left one option.

 

Rhodey opened a drawer and saw the device that had been with the letter and phone Steve had sent Tony in the package.

 

Star Labs, Earth-1

Shortly after

 

Steve was in his quarters at Star Labs that he had been living in since Barry and Wanda had moved into their apartment when he heard a strange noise. Steve looked over to the makeshift nightstand by his cot, where Cisco’s inter-dimensional extrapolator was. It was flashing as it vibrated. Steve slowly walked over to it, picking it up.

 

“Tony?” Steve answered hesitantly, not wanting to expose T’Challa in case it was him calling.

 

“No Steve, it’s me,” Rhodey said and Steve was stunned to hear from him. “Although I’m calling about Tony.”

 

“What’s going on?” Steve inquired and he heard Rhodey sigh.

 

“Its bad Cap. Tony won’t admit it, but he needs your help,” Rhodey told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you probably hate me for Pepper, but something major had to happen to bring Tony, Rhodey, and vision back into the fold.


	51. Prelude to the reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Avengers discuss Rhodey's call, Tony and Rhodey argue about Rhodey going behind Tony's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically another filler chapter, which I apologize for, but next chapter, we will get to the good stuff. 
> 
> First, I’d like to address something though: Pepper is not coming ack. I adore the woman, but sometimes a death is need to raise the stakes.

Star Labs, Earth-1  
Morning

“Alright, so let me get this straight,” Barry said messaging his temple as The Avengers stood in the cortex. “Rhodey contacted you last night and said Tony needs our help?”

“According to him, something’s happened, something bad. He didn’t want to tell me over communications, but he’s worried about Tony,” Steve explained.

“And why the hell should we care?” Clint demanded and they all turned to him. “What? You’re all thinking it! Why should we help him after everything he did to us!? He sold out my family, put us all in cages, held Wanda prisoner, and went on a rampage to kill Barnes! Not even counting the fact that this whole Civil War could have been prevented if he’d just listened to you guys! As far as I’m concerned, whatever happened to Stark, it’s exactly what he deserves!”

Clint stormed out, leaving the others staring after him.

“You guys feel that way as well?” Steve asked, looking at the rest of his teammates.

“The stuff Stark did, it’s hard to forgive man,” Sam pointed out.

“Given my history with him, I feel I cannot answer that objectively,” Wanda said as Barry took her hand.

“Look Cap, he sold us all out, because he was looking for absolution for Ultron. And he didn’t care if he dragged the rest of us down with him. Even if we did forgive him, I’m not sure any of us could ever trust him again,” Barry said and Steve nodded at him in understanding.

“I’m not asking you to trust him. I’m asking you to trust me. Just from the way Rhodey spoke, whatever happened was serious. If it was serious enough for Rhodey to go behind Tony’s back like this-”

“It’s bad enough that Tony is probably going to get himself killed,” Natasha finished and Steve nodded.

“Are we sure that Rhodey isn’t being manipulated by Tony?” Sam asked.

“Honestly, after everything that happened, nothing is off the table when it comes to Tony,” Barry admitted.

“So…what do we do then?” Sam asked.

“I might have an idea…if Barry is willing to make a call,” Natasha said as she looked to a confused Barry.

Avengers’ Compound, Earth-66  
Afternoon

“Why the hell would you call them?!” Tony shouted at Rhodey.

“Because we need help. Pepper died Tony! She is dead and I am sorry about that, but you aren’t the only one who lost someone!” Rhodey shouted and his heavy breathing filled the air as Tony was unusually silent. “She wouldn’t want you to go on like. She would want you to make things right with Steve and the others. Like it or not, we need their help.”

Tony sat down, appearing defeated when they heard a ringing noise. They looked down at the device Steve had given Tony before Rhodey picked it up.

“Steve?” he answered.

“We’d like to meet, face to face. If Tony is up for it, we’d like him to come through a breach, to talk,” Steve explained.

Rhodey looked up at Tony, a ‘your call’ look on his face. Tony sighed, not wanting to know but clamping down on his first instinct to tell Steve to go to hell. Rhodey was right, Pepper would want him to make things right with Steve and the others. And he could admit he burnt a lot of bridges that needed to be rebuilt. So, he gave a nod to Rhodey.

“You name the time, he’ll be there,” Rhodey agreed.

Star Labs, Earth-1  
Same time

“We’re sure about this?” Barry asked, not liking the feeling of this plan.

“I don’t like this plan either, but if you guys don’t feel you can trust him, it’s the only way e can know for sure if we can trust him on this,” Steve said as he looked around at his team. 

Later, in the Breach Room, a breach opened up and Tony stepped out. Tony looked around, confused on why no one was there. Then, a dart hit him in the side of his neck. He pulled it out and stumbled forward, his vision blurring before he fell to the ground, out cold. Clint jumped down from the ceiling, his bow aimed at Tony.

“You have no idea how tempting it is to put an arrow in you,” Clint sneered before he lowered his bow. “But I’m not a cold blooded killer. I’m not you Stark.”

Unspecified location, Earth-66  
Same time

In a darkened room, a blond haired man was cleaning his gun when a hissing, low voice spoke up.

“Stark is on Earth-1. Now is the time to strike,” the voice said and the man smirked.

“Excellent. You were right, attacking his beloved and his bodyguard was the perfect motivation,” the man said, his thick Russian accent echoing through the room.

“Stark’s emotions are his weakness. With the loss of the woman he loved, he would seek out his former friends, both to try and ease his own guilt and to attempt to reconcile with them. He is a broken man, he desires companionship,” the voice hissed.

“Phase one was a success. Phase two will be as well, Lord Savitar,” the man said as he picked up an automated rifle.


	52. Raid on the Compund

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Tony catches the other Avengers up to speed, Pepper's killer infiltrates the Compound.

Argus base  
Afternoon

Tony groaned as he came to. Blinking, he sat up as he realized that he was in some sort of cell. The door to the cell opened and a dark haired woman walked in.

“Mr. Stark,” she greeted him formally as she walked in, the cell door closing behind her.

“Where am I? Who are you? What’s going on?” Tony demanded trying to gather his thoughts.

“In order, you are in a cell that used to belong to a man called Floyd Lawton. My name is Lyla Michaels, director of an organization called Argus. You are here because you have a tendency to put innocent people in danger and bring chaos wherever you go,” Lyla said bluntly and Tony looked away, knowing she had a point but wondering how she knew that. “You reached out to your former teammates for help. None of them trust you anymore. Bringing you here was the middle ground.”

The cell door opened again and Tony looked up, surprised to see Steve standing on the other side. 

“He’s all yours. Guards will be stationed outside the door in case there’s any problem,” Lyla told Steve as he entered. 

Steve nodded as Lyla walked out, the door sliding closed behind her. It was silent for a moment, as the two former teammates, who had imagined this moment for months, realized they didn’t know how to start the conversation.

“Hey Cap,” Tony said awkwardly and winced, knowing that was not how this conversation needed to start.

“Tony,” Steve greeted calmly.

“So, what is this exactly?” Tony asked.

“None of the others trust you anymore. Not sure I do either. This was the only way we were comfortable that you wouldn’t try anything, wasn’t my idea. What happened Tony?” Steve asked and Tony sighed.

Tony sat down on the bed in the cell and it was then that Steve noticed just how tired Tony looked. Not just physically, but mentally as well. 

“Pepper, she’s dead,” Tony said and Steve was stunned into silence for several moments.

“I’m sorry Tony,” Steve said, knowing it wouldn’t be enough and Tony nodded. “How?”

“She and Happy were on their way home from work and someone attacked them. This guy, I don’t know Cap. He operates like Shield and uses weapons like Hydra. I wasn’t able to find any usable footage to determine his identity. I know, you guys, you don’t owe me anything. But I need your help Cap.”

Star Labs  
Later in the afternoon

“Is it me or are they all…tense,” Wally whispered to Caitlin and Wally as they eyed The Avengers.

Indeed, all three of them had noticed something off with their friends. Barry had been extremely hard on Wally in training and he’d been short with all of them all day. Clint had been tersely managing his arrows and Sam and Natasha had had one of the most intense training sessions any of them had ever seen. And Cisco wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have heard Wanda destroy something with her powers earlier but was too afraid to ask.

“Yeah, and you’re boyfriend took off earlier,” Wally said, directing this to Caitlin.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Caitlin flushed and they both gave her incredulous looks.

“Well, your not boyfriend went somewhere after Lyla showed up, said something about a precaution. And they all had this big meeting I wasn’t allowed in, looked serious,” Wally mentioned as Caitlin and Cisco exchanged concerned glances.

They all heard footsteps and everyone looked up from what they were doing as Steve walked in. But while Caitlin and Wally didn’t recognize the man with him, everyone else sure did. 

“W-what’s he doing here?!” Cisco exclaimed as he pointed at Tony accusingly, his Vibe coming back to him.

“Exactly what we’d like to know,” Sam said as he glared at Tony.

Before Tony could open his mouth, his head whipped to the ide and he had a metallic taste in his mouth. He spat out some blood and turned his head towards Clint, who had punched him.

“Clint,” Steve said, giving him a look that said ‘I understand but listen’. 

“Let’s hear him out,” Barry said, giving Tony a guarded look as Wanda crossed her arms, glaring at Tony.

Which caused Tony to get a good look at her. 

“Hey, you’re…” Tony trailed off as he stared at her swollen stomach.

“Pregnant, yes,” Wanda said stiffly.

“You kept a pregnant woman locked up. Feel proud of yourself Stark?” Clint sneered.

“Enough. You need to hear what he has to say,” Steve said as he looked over at Tony. “Tell them what you told me.”

Avengers Compound, Earth-66  
Night

The blond haired man jumped down from the ceiling, beginning to make his way towards the med bay. As he rounded the corner, he ran into a doctor. Before she could even react, the man pulled out a pistol and fired. The doctor dropped dead, blood pouring out from the wound in her head, and the man entered the med bay. He walked over to a bed before a voice spoke up behind him.

“Why are you here?” the man turned around to face Vision. “You have infiltrated my home and killed a member of the staff. Why?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that. But you’ll find out soon enough,” the man said.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to leave,” Vision told him.

The man simply smirked before he dropped a ball on the floor. It rolled over to Vision and flashed. Vision looked around, surprised to find himself in some sort of force field.

“This will not hold me,” Vision told him.

“I know. But by the time you escape, I’ll be long gone,” the man said confidently.

The man reached for his belt and pulled out what looked like a disk the size of a tennis ball. He threw it passed Vision and out into the hall. Rhodey was hit in the leg, specifically his mechanical brace. The brace broke in two and Rhodey, no longer able to stand, went down as the disk flew back to the man’s waiting hand. He caught it and put it back on his belt.

“Tell Tony Stark and Steve Rogers what I did here today. Tell them that Savitar will walk among them soon,” the man said.

Star Labs, Earth-1  
Not long after

Everyone was silent as they all processed what Tony had told them.

“I’m sorry for your loss. Pepper, she was a good woman,” Barry said, having come to greatly like Pepper in his brief time undercover at Stark Industries.

Tony nodded turning away as he put a hand on his face. No one said anything, giving him time. Even Clint found himself sympathetic to Tony in this moment.

“Look, this guy, he operatives like Shield and uses weapons like Hydra,” Tony said as he turned around to face him. “As much as I don’t want to say it, I can’t take him on alone with just Vision. I need your help.”

“Last time you needed their help, Barry was on the ground being electrocuted while you tried to kill Steve and Barnes,” Cisco pipped up.

Natasha crossed her arms, giving Tony a guarded look as Barry took Wanda’s hands, mostly so Wanda wouldn’t attack Tony. Cisco knew he was being a little dickish, but all he could see was his Vibe of Savitar killing Wanda. The faster he got Tony off this earth, the better a chance he had of preventing that future.

“Guys,” Steve said and they all looked at him. “Mistakes were made on both sides. I’m not saying Tony’s innocent, but neither are we. Whatever our personal issues with each other, Pepper was murdered. We owe it to her to find her killer and bring him to justice.”

As everyone looked at each other uncertainly, there was a beeping sound. Everyone looked confused until Steve pulled out his inter-dimensional extrapolator.

“Rhodey?” Steve said as he answered it.

“Cap, we have a problem, a major problem,” Rhodey said and everyone could tell from the sound of his voice that it was bad.

“What happened?” Steve demanded.

“The guy who killed Pepper, he broke into The Compound,” Rhodey said and The Avengers all started. “Vision and I are fine, but he said to tell you and Tony what he did. And to tell you that Savitar would walk among you soon.”

“Savitar? You’re sure he said Savitar, absolutely sure?” Barry asked as everyone but Tony looked stunned and horrified at the news.

“Yeah. Why, who’s Savitar?” Rhodey asked.

“Oh, just an evil speedster from the future who wants to kill us,” Clint said sarcastically. 

“What?” Tony said stunned and confused.

“We’ll fill you in later. Rhodey, what did he do?” Steve demanded.

“He killed one of the doctors and made off with someone. You might want to be sitting down,” Rhodey advised.

“Rhodey, who did he take?” Natasha asked.

Unspecified location, Earth-66  
Not long after

“You’ve been asleep for a long time,” the blond man said as he picked up a syringe filled with a green liquid. “But it’s time for you to wake up.”

The man walked over to Pietro, who was asleep on a medical table. The man put the needle in Pietro’s heart and injected the liquid into him. Pietro’s eyes snapped opened and he cried out as the man yanked the needle out.

“Welcome back Pietro,” the man said as Pietro breathed heavily, his body recovering as he shook off the effects of his coma. “You’ve missed a lot while you’ve been asleep. Let me catch you up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter we will get to the identity of Pepper’s killer. But for comic book fans, I gave a major hint in this chapter. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but if you need a visual aid, the man would be portrayed by Jake Abel. 
> 
> After fifty chapters, Pietro is finally awake. Things are about to take an interesting turn.


	53. The corruption of Quicksilver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the news of Pietro's capture breaks on Earth-1, Pepper's killer manipulates Pietro in order to convince him to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, hard to believe this story is now a year old. This isn’t a particularly long chapter, but it’s a necessary one for the plot. Hope you enjoy it.

Unspecified location, Earth-66  
Night

“Wh-where am I? Who are you? Wanda, where’s my sister?” Pietro asked, sitting up as he fired off these questions even as he winced in pain.

“Easy Pietro, you’ve been in a coma for the last year,” the man said as he persuaded Pietro to lie down. “I promise to answer all your questions. But first, you must rest Pietro.”

Pietro wanted to protest, but the moment his head hit the pillow on the med table, he was out like a light.

Star Labs, Earth-1  
Same time

“Why would this guy want Pietro?” Sam wondered.

“Well, he seems like he’s working with Savitar. Pietro’s a speedster; they might be planning on using Pietro for something,” Natasha noted. 

“Wanda, you okay?” Steve asked as they all turned to the young woman.

Wanda’s skin had paled considerably and she seemed to be in a state of shock. She didn’t answer Steve, nor did she seem aware of anything going on around her. Barry took her hand and she seemed to come out of whatever state she was in, nearly jumping as she looked over at Barry. 

“Come on, let’s get you something to drink,” Barry said, leading her gently by her hand out of the room, her lack of argument worrying him.

“News must be hitting her hard,” Steve said, staring after couple worriedly.

“Can you blame her?” Clint asked; worry shining in his own eyes.

“Who’s Pietro and why does Wanda care so much?” Caitlin asked, feeling like she was missing something, a sentiment that Wally and Cisco shared.

“Wanda’s brother. Her twin in fact,” Steve said and the members of Team Flash were stunned by this news. “He got his powers the same way Wanda did, but he’s a speedster. Not as fast as Barry or Wally, but pretty fast. He’s been in a coma for over a year, since the day Barry crossed over to our earth, ironically enough. I don’t know what Savitar wants with him, but it can’t be anything good.”

Barry took Wanda down to the make shrift dining room they’d set up in Star Labs. He set her down and put a glass of water in front of her, although she didn’t seem aware of it.

“Hey,” Barry knelt down in front of her and she finally looked up. “Talk me. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I just…I’ve imagined him waking up so many times…but not like this. Never like this,” Wanda said with a shaky breath. “What does Savitar want with Pietro?”

“I don’t know. But I promise you I will bring him back to you. I swear that on my mother’s grave,” Barry said as he took her face in his hands.

In a moment Wanda would blame entirely on pregnancy hormones, she burst into tears as Barry gathered her into his arms, Wanda burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Unspecified location, Earth-66, next day  
Morning

Pietro woke up, eyes blinking as his vision came into focus. At first, he had no idea where he was, then it all come back. He shot up, seeing the blond man walk in with a plate full of food.

“Good, you’re up. I made breakfast, you must be hungry since you haven’t eaten anything in over a year,” the man said as he put the plate down on some sort of make shift table.

“Who are you?” Pietro demanded as he jumped to his feet, his accent becoming thicker as his voice grew thick with anger and confusion. “Where am I? What happened to Ultron? What happened to my sister?!”

“Calm down Pietro, sit and I will answer all your questions,” the man told him calmly.

Infuriated by the man’s calm voice, Pietro nevertheless sat down, his need for answers outweighing his impatience.

“Thank you. My name is Alexei Shostakov and I have been trying to find a way to wake you from your coma for several months,” Alexei sat as he sat down in a chair facing Pietro on the bed. “Ultron was defeated by The Avengers, but at a high price. I’m sorry to say that Sokovia is gone.”

“Gone?” Pietro asked stunned and Alexei nodded grimly.

“Wiped from the map. I know this is a lot to take in,” Alexei said as Pietro was silent.

“Wanda, where’s my sister?” Pietro asked and Alexei sighed.

“That’s a bit more…complicated. While you were in a coma, your sister joined The Avengers,” Alexei said to Pietro’s shock. “You see, after Ultron, Stark and Barton retired while Banner and Thor left. Captain Rogers and Romanoff assembled a new team, including your sister and that Speedster who appeared in Sokovia.”

“Barry,” Pietro said after a moment and Alexei nodded.

“For almost a year, Wanda lived with them, trained with them, she trusted them. It was her undoing. During a mission, a bomb went off. Your sister tried to send the bomb into the sky but her powers failed her. The bomb exploded into the side of a building, killing hundreds of people,” Alexei said and Pietro was both horrified and sympathetic to the pain his sister must have felt at this. “The Governments of the world demanded justice for her alleged crimes and The Avengers threw her to the wolves. They betrayed her, offered her up as a sacrificial lamb. Wanda is currently held at a super max prison called The Raft, the exact location of which is unknown, not even Rogers or Stark know the exact location.”

“No, that…that cannot be,” Pietro said in shock.

Prior to Ultron, he would have had no problem believing that The Avengers would have sold out his sister, due to the death of his parents by Stark’s weapons and the Hydra propaganda ran in Sokovia. But now, after meeting them, he had a hard time believing Rogers and Barton would be okay with this.

“You wish to have proof. It’s understandable; you were put under their spell as much as she was. But I speak the truth,” Alexei said as he pulled out a tablet. 

After pushing a button, he turned it around so Pietro could see the screen. Pietro paled as he saw Wanda in a room he didn’t recognize, in a strait jacket with some collar on. Alexei pushed a button and the image changed to show Wanda being held down by men in suits as injected her with something. 

“The collar is to nullify her powers; the guards keep her sedated almost all hours of the day. I have a contact on the inside, he tries to help her but he can only do so much. I want to help her but even if my contact could tell me the location of The Raft, we don’t have the manpower to get her out of there,” Alexi explained, sounding regretful.

“What do I have to do in order to save my sister?” Pietro asked in a low voice, clearly willing to do anything to ‘save’ Wanda.

Alexei barely repressed his smirk. Manipulating the speedster’s love for his sister was all too easy. Not that Stark and Rogers hadn’t done him a favor with their ‘Avenger Civil War’ as the media was calling it. Alexei schooled his features back into that of the concerned man who only wanted to help.

“I was recently contacted by someone, a man. Well, a god really,” Alexei said and Pietro was confused. “His name is Savitar. He’s the god of speed, the first man with powers like yours and Barry’s. He can help us, but there’s a catch. He’s trapped in a realm known as the Speed Force, the source of his power. In order to free him, there’s a particular stone we need to get. But that’s what makes this all so complicated. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Multiverse?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who suspected Alexei, pat yourselves on the back. For those of you who have no idea who this is, well, let me give you a brief history lesson. Alexei is one of several characters to bear the mantle of Red Guardian, who is basically the Russian version of Captain America. Alexei was a member of the KGB and has a rather, shall we say, complicated history with Natasha.


	54. Return to Earth-66

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Barry and the Avengers prepare to rescue Pietro, they have no idea a trap is waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get stated, I would just like to take a moment to reflect. As most of you may have heard by now, Stan Lee, creator or several character in the Marvel franchise, passed away. Whether you’re a comic book reader or not, through his creations, through his characters, Stan Lee has in some way or another touched out lives. The world is the way it is in part because of Stan Lee. A titan has fallen, but Legends never die. 
> 
> RIP Stan Lee.

West House, Earth-1  
Morning

“So, you’re gonna go back to Earth-66 to save this Pietro?” Joe asked as Barry explained everything to him, Wally, Cisco, and Caitlin in the living room. 

“I have to Joe. He’s Wanda’s brother, uncle to my son or daughter. Not only that, but it’s the right thing to do. When my kid asks me one day where I was when their Uncle Pietro was in trouble, I plan to tell them I was fighting like hell to save him,” Barry said passionately.

“We get it Barry,” Wally as the first to speak up.

“You feel you gotta go, we support you,” Joe assured his son.

“Who’s all going with you on this trip?” Cisco asked, trying to keep them from noticing just how tense he was.

“Steve, Clint, Tony, and Natasha. Wanda’s not going because of the baby and Sam’s staying to keep an eye on her,” Barry explained.

“I’m pretty sure we can handle that,” Caitlin told him and Barry barked out a laugh.

“It’s cute how you think that. I’m not sure when we’ll be back. So, take care of my city and take care of Wanda. This whole thing is probably going to cause of lot of stress for her,” Barry said and it was clear form his tone how much this bothered him.

“We’ll do our best to keep the mother of my grandchild relaxed and calm,” Joe assured him and Barry shook his head.

“Don’t hover, she’ll hate that. Just try to keep her mind off it but don’t make it obvious,” Barry warned them.

“Man, this girl is high maintenance,” Wally muttered.

“All women are when pregnant,” Joe said as he patted his son on the shoulder. “Just wait until you become a father Wally.”

Barton apartment  
Same time

“I know, I keep breaking my promise,” Clint said guilty as he and Laura sat in the kitchen, Laura holding Nate in her arms.

“It’s okay Clint,” Laura said but Clint shook his head.

“No it’s not. I made a promise to you that I was done but I keep breaking it,” Clint looked away in shame.

“I never expected you to keep that promise,” Laura told him and he whipped his head towards her in shock. “You were never someone who was going to be comfortable sitting back while your friends were out their risking their lives. I knew that when I married you Clint. I was just waiting for you to figure that out. Just…come back to us.”

“Always,” Clint whispered as he took her hand with one of his and reached down, brushing some of Nate’s hair with the other.

Star Labs  
Later in the morning

Steve was in his quarters, getting ready for departure when he heard a knock on the door frame. Steve looked over from the gun he was loading to see Caitlin lingering in the door way uncertainly.

“Hey, am I interrupting?” Caitlin asked and he shook his head.

“No, not at all,” Steve said as he lowered the gun to a table in the room. “Just getting ready.”

“Didn’t know you used guns,” Caitlin noted and he shrugged.

“I used to a lot in World War Two, haven’t in a while. Since I don’t have my shield anymore, I figured I might as well get back in the habit,” Steve said and Caitlin nodded. “Was there something you wanted?”

“We need to talk,” Caitlin said, sitting down on his bed and patting the spot next to her.

Having a feeling he knew what this was about, Steve sat down on the spot next to her.

“The last few months, it’s been great…but I think we both know we have an expiration date,” Caitlin began, trying to gather the words. 

“I know,” Steve said lowly. “My earth…I can’t abandon it. I’m going to go back there. If not now, then soon. It’s who I am Cait. I can’t let the people over there down.”

“And I don’t expect you to. But I wanted to say…thank you,” Caitlin said and Steve looked at her surprised. “After what Jay, Zoom, did to me, I felt broken inside. And even after I moved passed what he did to me, my heart just…stopped. I wasn’t sure I was capable of letting someone in, of caring for someone like that again. You showed me that I was…and I want to thank you for that.”

“I owe you the thanks,” Steve said and Caitlin was surprised. “When Peggy died, I was in some sort of limbo. Moving forward but staying in place at the same time. But being here, being with you…it’s shown me how much more I still have to do. So, thank you. I will never forget you Caitlin.”

“I’ll never forget you either,” Caitlin said softly as she leaned close to him.

Steve leaned down and the pair shared a kiss, what they sure was the first of many goodbye kisses.

Barry and Wanda’s apartment  
Same time

“I think I should go with you,” Wanda said for what Barry thought was the thousandth time today as he packed some stuff.

“And if you weren’t pregnant, I’d agree with you. But you are, and I’m not risking our kid by bringing you into an unknown situation. I don’t think you will either,” Barry told her as he zipped up his bag.

Wanda looked away, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. Barry sighed as he walked over to her.

“Hey, look at me,” Barry took her face in his hands and made her look over at him. “I will come back to you, I promise. And I’m bringing your brother back with me.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Wanda said, pulling him for a deep kiss.

Star Labs  
Afternoon

Everyone was in the Breach Room already when Barry and Wanda arrived, everyone but Cisco that was. But Barry would worry about Cisco when they got back.

“Everyone ready to go?” Barry asked as they walked in.

“We were waiting for you,” Natasha said, dressed in her black suit and Barry nodded.

“You went back to your old suit back, looks kind of bland,” Tony noted as he eyed Barry’s Flash suit. “What happened to the other one I made you?”

“Didn’t really feel wearing something designed to stab me in the back without my knowledge, so I sold it for spare parts,” Barry said coolly, conveniently leaving out he’d given it to Shuri in Wakanda.

“Let’s make one thing clear Stark, we can put aside our egos to work with you. But you are not forgiven, not by a long shot,” Clint sneered as he got in Tony’s face.

“Clint,” Barry said and Clint looked over his shoulder at him. “He’s not worth it.”

Clint gave a terse nod and turned away from Tony. As Clint walked over to Laura to say goodbye, Tony had never felt more alone than in this room of people who seemed to despise or only tolerate his presence. 

“Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone,” Barry said as he put a hand on Wally’s shoulder.

“Come on man, I got this,” Wally said confidently.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Barry smiled slightly before turning to Joe. “Make sure he doesn’t-”

“I know,” Joe said as he hugged Barry goodbye. “You see anything wonky, you run the other way.”

“No promises,” Barry said, hugging his dad back before letting go and looking over at Caitlin. “Think you and Cisco can hold down the fort while I’m gone?”

“I think we can handle it,” Caitlin said, hugging him goodbye and he chuckled as he hugged her as well.

“Not saying goodbye to Steve?” Barry asked, noticing how she made no move to go near Steve.

“We already said goodbye,” Caitlin said vaguely and Barry noticed she seemed off but didn’t push the issue.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Cisco said as he walked in and everyone turned to see him wearing some red suit.

“Dude, what are you wearing?” Sam asked in surprise.

“This is my suit. Pretty cool huh?” Cisco said gleefully.

“Why are you wearing it? Cisco, you don’t even know Pietro,” Barry pointed out.

“Yeah, but last time you were over there, you ended up stuck there for a year And I know there was time travel involved, but better safe than sorry, right?” Cisco lied his ass off.

In truth, the fact that Barry, Steve, Tony, and Clint were all going to Earth-66 with someone working with Savitar had brought his fears about his Vibe to the surface. He was not going to let this particular Vibe come true. He was going to stop it or die trying.

“The more the merrier I say,” Clint said and Barry shrugged.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Natasha ordered.

“So bossy, man,” Cisco joked and she glared at him. “Shutting up.”

Clint smirked as Steve, Sam, and Barry attempted to muffle their laughs and Cisco glared at them betrayed. Tony felt the sense of loss of comradery in that moment but pushed it out of his mind as the six of them gathered on the landing pad.

“Earth-66, here we come,” Cisco said as he opened a breach in front of them.

Avengers’ compound, Earth-66  
Moments later

As they appeared in the hanger, The Avengers immediately felt something was off. It took them a moment to pick up on it.

“It’s took quiet,” Natasha said after a moment.

“What?” Cisco asked confused.

“She’s right,” Barry agreed. “Even on the quietest day of the year, you could still hear the kitchen staff moving around. And I’m assuming you didn’t fire them Tony?”

“No, I kept the staff around,” Tony agreed, as on edge as the others.

They heard a sarcastic clapping sound and turned to see a blond man walk into the hanger.

“I must admit, I’m impressed that, after months of not stepping foot in this place, you picked up on that so easier. Hello Natalia, Clint,” Alexei said as he smirked at the stunned former spies.

“You-you’re dead,” Natasha stammered as she stared at him.

“Death is but an illusion dear Natalia. But you know that too well,” Alexei told her.

Taking advantage of their shock, the man threw a track dart, getting Clint in the leg. As he went down, the sedative already beginning to take effect, Barry sped into action. He tried to speed over to Alexei but was knocked off his feet by sudden movement. He looked up and saw, to his shock, Pietro standing over him.

“You didn’t see that coming?” Pietro asked with a smirk.

“Pietro?” Barry asked stunned.

Pietro responded by trying to punch Barry but Barry sped out of the way. As the speedsters raced around the room, Alexei pulled out a gun and opened fire on the others. Cisco and Tony were hit, joining Clint in unconsciousness as Steve and Natasha dodged the tranq darts and tried to engage him. However, Alexi pulled a disk off his belt and threw it, forcing them to dodge. Steve noticed it bounced off the walls in similar ways that his shield had done. 

“Pietro, why are you doing this?” Barry cried, dodging a kick from Pietro as he did.

“As if you don’t know!” Pietro snarled as he sent a punch to Barry.

“I don’t!” Barry cried out, grabbing Pietro’s arm and flipping him over onto the floor. 

However, Pietro suddenly pulled out a knife and cut him in the ankle. Barry was surprised by the move and Pietro took advantage, jumping up and punching Barry, hard enough to send him to the ground, out cold. 

Smirking as he saw this, Alexei pushed a button on a watch on his wrist. Natasha and Steve looked up and were blinded by a bright light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have certainly gone to shit, haven’t they.
> 
> If Alexei seemed to take them down too easily, well, Cisco and Tony are not really physically fit kind of heroes. As for Clint, he let his guard down because he was shocked to see Alexei for reasons that will be explained later on.


	55. Calling for help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve reaches out to some old allies for help as The Avengers remain trapped by Alexei. Alexei begins to set his plan in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more set up for what’s coming, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

Avengers Compound, Earth-66  
Night

Barry groaned as he came to. At first, his vision was blurry. When it cleared, he saw he was in a cell, surrounded by the unmoving forms of his teammates. 

“How you feeling?” A familiar voice spoke up.

Barry turned his head to the corner of the cell, where Rhodey was sitting. Barry did not speak, his eyes traveling down to Rhodey’s leg. Natasha had told them of Rhodey’s condition and Cisco had told him of Sam’s nightmares, of hearing him call out ‘Rhodey’ in his sleep. 

“Like I got a speeder punch in the face,” Barry said in response to Rhodey’s question. “You want to explain what’s going on here?”

“I wish I knew,” Rhodey sighed. “One minute I’m waiting for Tony to bring you guys back, the next Wanda’s brother is helping the jackass who killed Pepper take down Vision.”

“Where is Vision?” Barry asked, noticing the absence of the red skinned Avenger.

“I don’t know. I woke up here and he wasn’t here, but you guys were,” Rhodey explained as the others began to come around.

“What hit me?” Clint groaned a little groggy.

“I believe I did,” a Russian voice spoke up outside the cell.

The Avengers stood up, seeing Alexei standing outside the cell door. The smirk on his face infuriated them.

“Surprised you had the guts to show your ugly mug again, after what happened last time,” Clint said and Alexei simply chuckled. “Something funny?”

“Just noting that you are as witty as you are foolish Clint. Things are different now. Shield can’t help you here,” Alexei said smugly.

“Yeah, well let’s see if you feel that way without this-” Clint snarled, taking several steps towards the cell door.

Whatever else Clint was going to say was cutting off, as a blue force field appeared in front of him and sent him stumbling back, all of them looking at the place where the fore field had been as it vanished from view.

“You guys saw that right?” Rhodey asked for clarification.

“What the hell is this?” Tony demanded and Alexei chuckled.

“To put it in terms that your simple mind can understand,” Alexei said mockingly and Tony glared angrily. “It’s a force field. Not one of those amateur ones Stark Industries is working on either. Not even your pal Vision could phase through this.”

“I bet I could,” Barry said confidently and Alexei smirked. 

“Possibly. But the power deadpanning field disrupting your powers might make that a little difficult,” Alexei said and Barry scowled.

“Where’s Vision?” Rhodey demanded.

“And Cisco?” Barry asked as he noticed the absence of his best friend.

“Alive. For now,” Alexei said smoothly. “And they will remain that way. You see, both of your friends have an important role to play in Lord Savitar’s plan.”

“How did you end up working for Savitar?” Natasha asked and Alexei looked at her amused.

“Really? All these years and that’s your first question Natalia?” he asked.

“Well, it’s pretty obvious you won’t tell us where our friends are or what you’re planning to do with them,” Natasha snapped and Alexei simply shrugged.

“True enough. After our last encounter, I was a broken man. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. My body was broken, I was a shadow of the man I once was. Just when I had given up, I began to hear his voice. Lord Savitar. At first, I thought I had gone mad. He showed me the way, gave me a new path. A new purpose in life. You see, I realized I was thinking too small. Why just be a man, when I could be a god?” Alexei said and they all stared at him.

“You’re insane,” Tony said bluntly.

“You don’t understand now, but you will Stark. Soon you will all understand that Lord Savitar cannot be beaten. He’s the one enemy you cannot defeat,” Alexei said before he turned and walked off.

“Okay, we need to get out of here,” Tony said once Alexei was gone.

“If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them Stark,” Clint snarked.

“I don’t suppose he left you with your phone?” Barry asked as he looked over at Rhodey.

“He did actually,” Rhodey said as he reached inside his pants pocket, pulling out his phone. “Not sure it will do any good. There’s no one we can call.”

“What about Scott?” Steve asked and Rhodey shook his head.

“Your friend took a plea deal, got house arrest for two years,” Tony explained.

“Since Thor and Banner are gone, we have no one,” Rhodey sighed.

“Not no one,” Steve said and Rhodey and Tony looked confused as Steve held out a hand. “Can I have the phone?”

Confused, Rhodey nodded as he handed it to Steve. Barry helped Rhodey stand as Steve dialed a number, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up.

“Hey, it’s me. I need your help.”

Unspecified location  
Not long after

Cisco had been in a lot of weird situations, but this one took the cake. He was chained to a wall, that collar he’d seen around Barry and Wanda’s necks in The Raft now on his neck. There was a red skinned man with a cape on strapped to some sort of machine on the other side of the room. And finally, there was a blond haired man standing in the center of the room.

“I’m glad to see that you’re awake Mr. Ramon,” Alexei said as he walked over to Cisco. “Now, we can begin.”

“Begin what? Where are my friends?” Cisco demanded.

“Mr. Allen and The Avengers are fine. How long it remains that way is entirely up to you,” Alexei said as he stopped in front of Cisco, kneeling down until he was eye level with the Metahuman. “You see, you’re going to help me free Lord Savitar.”

“Hell no,” Cisco said immediately, his Vibe flashing through his mind. “I don’t care what you do to me. You can beat me, you can torture me, I won’t help you.”

“Of that I have doubt. You’ve seen what will happen once Lord Savitar is free,” Alexei smirked at the look of astonishment that crossed Cisco’s face. “I know all about you Vibe. You’re quite the hero. Which is why I know you won’t let an innocent man die.”

Alexei pushed a button on his wrist and Vision suddenly cred out in pain, electric shocks going through the machine he was strapped to.

“That’s seven milliamps of electricity,” Alexei told the horrified Cisco as Vision continued to scream. “If he were human, he’d be dead right now. Shall we go to eight?”

“Wait, stop! Stop! Cisco shouted, hating himself for what he was about to do, but unable to stand the sight. “I’ll help you, just stop!” 

As the smirking Alexei turned off the electricity, Pietro watched all this from the doorway, a sliver of doubt entering his mind for the first time since he’d agreed to help Alexei.

Wakanda  
Late afternoon/same time

Bucky Barnes was feeding his goats when his highly trained sensed picked up on someone approaching. He looked up and saw T’Challa standing on the hill overlooking the barn. Bucky began walking towards T’Challa as one of the men with T’Challa laid a large, rectangle box on a stack of hay. As Bucky neared them, the men opened the box and stepped out of the way. Bucky looked down into the box, stared at the arm of Wakandian metal for a moment before looking over at T’Challa.

“Where’s the fight?” Bucky asked.

“New York. Captain Rogers has returned and he needs our help Sergeants Barnes,” T’Challa told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really not sure about the time difference between New York and Wakanda, so let’s just say there a four or five hour time difference. Oaky? Okay.


	56. Boiling Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Alexei continues to blackmail Cisco and manipulate Pietro, things come to a head between Tony and Clint.

Avengers Compound  
Night

“So, since when are you friends with your royal highness?” Tony asked as they all waited, more to fill the silence than anything. 

“He followed you to Siberia,” Steve explained and Tony winced, his memories of that day still fresh and painful. “He saw everything, heard Zemo’s confession. In order to make amends, he offered us asylum in Wakanda while we planned our next move.”

“So, was he involved in…?” Tony trailed off.

“No, that just was us,” Steve said, deciding to keep T’Challa’s involvement out.

“So, what this guy’s beef with you two?” Rhodey asked as he looked between Clint and Natasha.

“It’s a long story,” Natasha said vaguely.

“We’ll, we’ve got nowhere to go,” Barry pointed out.

“Might as well pass the time somehow,” Clint said when Natasha looked over at him.

“It was one of my first big missions after I’d joined Shield,” Natasha began after a moment. “His name is Alexei Shostakov, code name Red Guardian. He was one of the KGB’s best pilots, as well as their best assassin. Back when I was them, I was…promised to him.”

“Oh,” Barry lamely as he and Steve both found themselves uncomfortable at the prospect. 

“The KGB was planning something big. Nat’s mission was to pretend she was still part of the KGB and infiltrate it, find out what they were planning,” Clint continued.

“Unfortunately, Alexei found out I was working for Shield and blew my cover,” Natasha sighed. “Clint came to extract me and the two of us ended up in a fire fight with Alexei. One of Clint’s explosive arrows ended up hitting a gas container, which set off a chain reaction that destroyed the whole building with Alexei still inside.”

“We barely made it out alive and thought Alexei had been killed in the explosion. Whatever the KGB was planning, they seemed to decide to scrap it with the loss of supplies and Alexei’s ‘death’,” Clint finished.

“And now he’s working for Savitar. Great,” Barry said sarcastically.

“Who is this Savitar?” Rhodey asked confused.

“Allegedly, he’s the first man to possess powers like Barry’s, worshipped as a god centuries ago. He has the power to communicate with someone mentally, like he did with Alexei. He’s trapped in the speed Force, the source of Barry’s powers. He’s from the future and seems to believe we will all die by his hand,” Steve explained.

“So, a Speedster Loki from the future who wants us all dead? Boy, this just keeps getting better and better,” Tony said sarcastically. 

Unspecified location  
Same time

As Cisco was working on what Alexei wanted him to do, Alexei walked out of the room to see Pietro waiting with a look of deep thought on his face.

“Something on your mind Pietro?” Alexei asked.

“I saw what you did to Vision. You tortured him to get Ramon’s cooperation,” Pietro accused.

“I know,” Alexei said simply.

“This is like something Hydra would do to get Wanda and I to cooperate,” Pietro said heatedly and Alexei sighed.

“You think I liked doing that? I didn’t. There is a line between being who we are and what we have to be in order to survive Pietro. My methods may seem cruel, but they are the only way to free Lord Savitar and your sister. You do still want to save her, don’t you?” Alexei asked, twisting the knife even further.

“Of course I do!” Pietro said immediately.

“Good. Remember Pietro, everything we’re doing, we’re doing for her,” Alexei lied, turning away so Pietro wouldn’t see the smirk that had crossed his face. 

Avengers Compound  
Later

“So, you were put in some sort of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ world?” Rhodey asked incredulously as they were all catching up, passing the time while they waited for backup. 

“It sounds crazy, but yeah,” Clint said.

“Well, now I’ve heard everything,” Tony muttered.

“Don’t worry Tony, I mean, it’s our fault. Everything is always our fault, right?” Clint snarked and everyone felt the tension rise in the room.

“Clint,” Natasha said warningly.

“I’m just saying, according to Tony, everything’s our fault. Like Ultron. That was our fault. Not Tony’s for plugging unknown alien tech into the internet, because you’ve apparently never seen a horror movie with that premises, or for not consulting us. No, it’s all our fault. Nothing’s ever your fault, is it Tony?” Clint asked with just the right amount of snark and venom that he knew would get under Tony’s skin. 

“You really wanna do this now?” Tony asked grumpily.

“You’re lucky I didn’t put an arrow in your chest the moment you stepped out of the breach,” Clint growled as he got to his feet, rage on his face. “I trusted you! We all trusted you! And you sold us out!”

“You broke the law!” Tony protested.

“So did you! Or are you the only one allowed to break the law?!” Clint snarled. “You can do whatever the hell you want and we are the ones who have to face the consequences! Is that it Tony?!”

“Feeling pretty accurate,” Barry couldn’t help but add and Steve shot him a look. “I know, not helping.”

“I tried to work with you, you guys didn’t want to!” Tony exclaimed as he looked accusingly at Barry and Steve.

“So what, we should just blindly do whatever you say?!” Barry snapped.

“No, but it was something we should have considered!” Tony protested.

“If it was something to consider, we would have. But come on Tony, even you must see by now that The Accords were a bad idea from the start,” Steve rationalized. 

“Tony, he’s right,” Rhodey said as Tony opened his mouth. “I signed on for accountability. I didn’t sign on for no due process, unlawful imprisonment, and underwater prisons with inhumane conditions.”

“The Accords aren’t perfect. I know that. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, we have to start somewhere,” Tony pleaded, although he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince them or himself.

“At what cost though?” Natasha asked him bluntly.

“We are all fugitives! My family is in Ross’ crosshairs! He is putting collars are on the Enhanced that are designed to kill them if they try to take off them off!” Clint snarled and Tony paled, having to known that last bit. “But what do you care, you got what you wanted Tony. You got your absolution, everyone else be damned. The world may see as a hero, but I won’t ever forget that it was you who sold my family out to Ross. When I was Loki’s flying monkey, I told him everything, every secret I had in my head. And, as much of a bastard as Loki was, he never used my family against me. I guess that makes him a more honorable person than you.”

“So what, you think I’m worse than Loki?” Tony demanded, trying to mask his guilt with indignation. 

“Loki never put my family in the sight of a power hunger psychopath!” Clint snarled as he got in Tony’s face.

“No, he just made you a murderer,” Tony snapped, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth and saw Clint get a dark look on his face.

“At least my body count doesn’t include wiping an entire country from the map,” Clint sneered. 

Tony didn’t recall moving his hand, only feeling the impact of his fist against Clint’s face and Clint stumbled back. Tony opened his mouth, to apologize or not, he wasn’t sure. Whatever the case, he never got the chance to find out as Clint whirled back and punched him in return. Soon, Clint had tackled Tony and Tony was trying to fight back when there was a whirl of movement. Tony was slammed against the wall, Barry holding a hand to his chest to restrain him as Steve and Natasha held Clint back. 

“That’s enough, both of you,” Steve said firmly.

“Look, whatever issues we have with each other, they don’t matter right now. What matters is stopping Alexei from getting Savitar out,” Barry said firmly. 

“So both of you, put aside your egos for now and find a way to work together,” Natasha finished.

For a moment, it was silent in the cell they found themselves in, Clint glaring at Tony angrily. Then, after a moment, Clint’s shoulders slumped and he nodded. Steve glanced over at Natasha and, at her nod, the pair let him go.

“What about you?” Barry asked cautiously, not letting Tony go.

“I can work together if he can,” Tony said.

Barry eyed him wearily for another moment before nodding and letting Tony go.

“If we’re going to get out of here alive, I suggest those two stand on opposite ends of the room and don’t talk to each other until T’Challa gets here,” Rhodey suggested.

“Good idea,” Steve said, giving Clint a pointed look.

Clint rolled his eyes but turned and walked over to the other end of the room. He crossed his arms and looked anywhere but at Tony.

“You,” Barry said as he looked over at Tony. “Just…don’t talk to anyone.”

Barry then walked away from Tony, Natasha following him as they joined Clint’s side of the room. Steve looked over at Tony, looking like he wanted to say something but seemed to decide against it, walking over to where the others were as well.

“Tony, if we want to survive, you have to mend some bridges,” Rhodey advised his friend.

“Since when are you Team Cap? As I recall it, you were all for The Accords, just like I was,” Tony argued.

“And then I saw what it cost,” Rhodey looked down at his legs and Tony was silent. “And yeah, I signed them to. But I can admit that it was the wrong call Tony. I’m your friend Tony, and as your friend, I’m telling you to get your head out of your ass and start looking at things as they are, not as you want them to be.”

Tony opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he was going to say was cut off. The sounds of bullets, cries of pain, and fighting came from just down the hall. The Avengers all stepped away from the walls, with the exception of Rhodey, who had to be helped to his feet by Tony, and walked over to the force field. There was silence and then T’Challa, dressed in his Black Panther suit, walked into view.

“I apologize for the delay, but we were preoccupied in dealing with your enemy’s guards,” T’Challa apologized.

“We? You brought your guards?” Tony asked and T’Challa shook his head.

“No, it is simply myself and…” T’Challa trailed off as someone else walked into view.

“One semi-stable hundred year old man,” Bucky quipped, holding an assault rifle in his hands.

As Steve smiled, happy to see his friend, awake and seemingly in control of his own mind, Tony clenched his hands into fists so tightly that they turned white. His body was flooded with pure white rage. Subconsciously, he could admit that he was blaming Bucky for the sins of Hydra. But consciously, he wasn’t ready to see the difference between the two. 

While Tony was processing this, T’Challa had pulled out a device and attached it to the wall. He stepped back after pressing a button and, a few moments later, the force field seemed to disappear.

“How’d you do that?” Clint asked as they stepped out of the cell.

“The force field is not dissimilar to the barrier around Wakanda. It was simple for Shuri to find a way to dismantle it,” T’Challa explained.

“How you doing Buck?” Steve asked as he walked up to his best friend, the pair embracing in a one-armed hug as Bucky moved the rifle to his new robotic hand.

“Not bad, all things considered. What are we up against?” Bucky inquired as they let go.

“An ex-KGB terrorist gone rouge, a god with the same powers as Barry, and Wanda’s brother who has similar powers to Barry,” Natasha said grimly.

“They have Vision and Cisco,” Barry added worried.

“Well, perhaps our new friends can be of assistance,” T’Challa said as they looked over at the many unconscious guards down the hall. 

Unspecified location  
Same time

“Excellent Mr. Ramon,” Alexei said satisfied as he looked at the device Cisco had built. “You have brought us one step closer to victory.”

“Go to hell,” Cisco snapped as he shot Alexei the darkest look ever.

“Oh, I’ve been to hell Mr. Ramon. Before we go, there is one more thing you will do for me,” Alexei looked over at Cisco. “The inter-dimensional extrapolator. You will make one for me.”

“No, I won’t,” Cisco said, fear coursing through his veins as he remembered the Vibe of Savitar killing Wanda. “Whatever you do, I won’t do it.”

Alexei simply smirked and clapped his hands together. Cisco was confused until a man brought in a struggling woman. The man forced her to her knees and she looked up at Cisco with terror filled eyes. Alexei pulled out a gun and Cisco realized what was about to happen.

“No!” Cisco cried out as Alexei pulled the trigger. 

The woman’s blood splattered everywhere as the bullet hit her in the center the forehead. She stopped to the ground, dead, as Cisco stared horrified.

“Your loyalty to Allen is admirable, the lengths you will go to in order to stop him from losing the love of his life and his child are commendable, it’s why you came back here in the first place,” Alexei complimented Cisco. “But you will do as I say. Or whatever happens next…is on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Alexei, I tried to draw from the comics while also trying to make it match up with MCU. Hope I did okay on that. 
> 
> The argument between Clint and Tony is not meant to bash either of them. But Clint has been shown to be someone who doesn’t sugarcoat things and he’s obviously pretty ticked at Tony for outing his family. And Tony based on what we saw in Civil War and Spider-Man Homecoming has a tendency to, rather than accept his own mistakes, turn it around on other people. I hope I kept both of them in character.


	57. Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now freed and united, The Avengers track down Alexei and attempt to prevent his journey to Earth-1.

Avengers Compound  
Night

“There you go,” Tony said as he hooked Rhodey’s leg up with another brace.

“Thanks Tony, not that it will do me much good,” Rhodey said.

“You sure you’re not gonna come?” Tony asked and Rhodey smiled ruefully. 

“Look at me Tony. I’m not gonna be any help. And someone needs to keep Ross off your back while you guys are out there, saving Vision. But Tony…you need to make things right with them,” Rhodey said and Tony sighed.

“It’s not that simple,” Tony said as he stood up, looking away from Rhodey.

“Why not?” Rhodey asked and Tony was silent for several moments.

“Barnes killed my parents…and Cap knew,” Tony said as he turned around to face the stunned Rhodey.

“You’re sure?” Rhodey said after managing to regain his voice.

“Zemo showed us a video of it in Siberia and Cap all but admitted it,” Tony said gruffly.

“God…I’m sorry Tony. Look, I’m not gonna pretend to know what exactly went down in Siberia. But you guys need to have each other’s backs out there, especially since I’m not gonna be there to watch yours. You need to make things right with them,” Rhodey told Tony.

Tony opened his mouth to respond but another voice cut him off.

“Hey,” the pair looked up to see Barry poke his head in the doorway. “We know where they’re holding Vision and Cisco. Meet us in the docking bay in fifteen minutes.”

Tony simply nods before Barry walks out.

In his old room, Clint was grabbing his spare bow and quiver when Natasha walked in.

“Good thing you left those here when you retired,” Natasha noted and Clint nodded. “Things got pretty intense with you and Tony earlier.”

“Don’t tell me I’m wrong for being angry,” Clint strapped his quiver to his back before turning to face her. “I trusted him with the one thing I had only trusted you with before and he used it against me.”

“I know. I can’t defend him; I won’t, because you’re right. He did betray you, you more than any of us. But you need to put that aside. We have to work together now, can you do that?” Natasha asked bluntly.

“You know I can. It’s Stark you should be worried about. You saw the way he reacted to Barnes. Stark’s a loose cannon with Barnes around. And you know I’m right,” Clint said and Natasha looked away, knowing every word he said was true. 

Barry made his way into the hanger bay, where Steve was talking to T’Challa and Bucky.

“You sure that you have the location?” Barry asked as he reached them.

“Ms. Romanoff can be very...persuasive,” T’Challa said simply as Steve grimaced at what Natasha had done to make Alexei’s guards talk.

Barry eyed them wearily but decided he didn’t want to know as Clint and Natasha walked in.

“You guys ready to go or not?” Clint inquired.

“We’re just waiting on Tony now,” Steve said.

“I’m here,” Tony said as he walked in, dressed in one of his suits with the face plate down. “Where are we headed?”

“Your friends are being held at an abandoned military base one hour from here,” T’Challa explained.

“We don’t have an hour, so we’re taking the Quinjet,” Steve explained and Tony nodded.

“I’ll follow behind you,” Tony said, his face plate closing and concealing his face.

Understanding that Tony did not wish to ride with Bucky, no one questioned it as the boarded the Quinjet.

Alexei’s hideout  
Later

“Here, it’s done,” Cisco said, sneering as he handed Alexei the device.

“Excellent Mr. Ramon,” Alexei said as he examined it. “You continue to impress. Which is why I must apologize for what happens next.”

Alexei then slugged Cisco, hard. Cisco fell to the ground, out cold, as Alexei knelt down in front of him.

“I am sorry Mr. Ramon, but we still need you. You are coming with us,” Alexei said, his voice lacking any remorse as one of his guards walked in.

“Sir, Stark and a Quinjet are en route,” the guard said and Alexei got to his feet.

“Of course they are. What is their ETA?” Alexei asked as he turned around to face the guard.

“Two minutes, at most sir,” the guard said and Alexei nodded.

“Send Maximoff in here. And make sure that none of them can get to this room,” Alexei ordered.

Less than a minute later, Tony landed outside the building, seeing various men with weapons pointed at him.

“Guys, it looks like Alexei left us a welcoming committee,” Tony told them over the comms as the guards aimed their weapons at them.

“Copy. Help is on the way Tony,” Steve said as he looked back at Barry, who was strapping on a parachute.

Barry nodded at him before pulling up his cowl. Vibrating his body, Barry phased through the side of the Quinjet and fell below. He fell to the ground pulling the parachute to slow his fall. Once he had slowed and was close enough to the ground, Barry shrugged off the parachute and sped to the ground, beginning to assist Tony in taking down the guards.

“Get inside; you need to stop Alexei from escaping! I have a feeling he’ll want to head to Earth-1 to get the stone!” Tony shouted as he blasted a guard. “We can’t let Savitar get out. I’ll cover you, go!” 

Barry nodded at Tony before speeding towards the entrance. Tony sent a few blasts at the guards in Barry’s way while also distracting the guards who would have fired at Barry by blasting at them.

Barry sped into the building and three guards aimed their guns at him. Using his speed, Barry sped over, knocked one on his back and grabbed the gun out of his hand and, at super speed, struck the other two with the end of the gun, hard enough to knock them out. As the other two went down, Barry grabbed the last one by his shirt and slammed him up against the wall.

“Where is Alexei?!” Barry growled, trying to sound like Oliver when he has interrogated that man in Star City three years earlier. 

“I won’t tell you,” the man said confidently.

“Tell me or I’ll…” Barry trailed off, not sure what to say.

“Alexei said you would hesitate,” the man said and Barry stiffened. “Lord Savitar knows all. He will be unleashed and everyone and everything you love will come to an end. And you will know you couldn’t stop it because you lacked the will to do what is necessary. You will know that you failed to save her. You failed to save Wanda.”

In a roar of rage, Barry plunged his vibrating hand through the man’s shoulder and he cried out in pain.

“Where is he?!” Barry roared.

Pietro watched as Alexei pushed a button on a remote and, to Pietro’s shock, the machine holding Vision shrunk down into a box, the size of a rubric cube. There was no sign of Vision.

“Don’t worry, he’s still alive,” Alexei assured him as he picked up the box. “This is simply to make it less difficult to move him.”

“How did you do that?” Pietro asked in wonder.

“Technology from Hank Pym. A brilliant man, but ruled by principals,” Alexei said as he looked over at the unconscious Cisco. “We have to be going now Pietro.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Barry shouted as he sped into the room.

Tony was still going up against the guards but every time he took down one, two more seemed to pop up. Then, when they seemed to surround him, an arrow flew out, hitting the ground where some of them stood. They looked down at it before it exploded. Several of them went flying as T’Challa jumped in, slashing at several of them with his claws. Bucky and Natasha rushed in, firing their gun of choice, Bucky an automated machine gun and Natasha two pistols. Steve rushed in, yanked a rifle out of the hand of one the guards, struck him with the end of it, and then opened fire on the other guards.

“Where’s Barry?!” Steve shouted to Tony over the gunfire.

“He’s inside!” Tony shouted back as he shot off a blast. 

“Mr. Allen, so glad you could join us. But I’m afraid we will be leaving here today,” Alexei said confidently. 

“Not gonna happen,” Barry said as he looked over at Pietro. “Pietro, out of respect for your sister, I’m not kicking your ass right now. But if you try to take my best friend and side with this jerk, then that’s it, we will be enemies. So think long and hard about what you’re going to do next.”

“We became enemies the moment you and The Avengers sold Wanda out,” Pietro said coolly and Barry was confused.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about!” Pietro exploded.

“Don’t let him play mind games with you Pietro,” Alexei said as, to Barry’s shock, he pulled out an inter-dimensional extrapolator. “It’s been fun Mr. Allen, but we really must be going.”

Alexei pulled what looked like a disk off his belt and threw it at Barry. Barry ducked; leaning back to avoid the disk, but it seemed to give off a bright flash. Barry cried out in pain as the flash momentarily blinded him. The disk flew back to Alexei and he put it back on his belt as he nodded at Pietro. Pietro, at super speed, picked up Cisco and threw him over his shoulder as Alexei activated the extrapolator. A breach opened up behind them and Pietro sped through it as Alexei stepped towards it. As Alexei began walking through it, Barry’s eye sight returned.

“No!” Barry cried out as Alexei disappeared into the breach.

Barry began speeding towards it as fast as he could as the breach started to close. But, in a tragic twist of irony, he wasn’t fast enough. He reached it just as the breach closed. He sped passed it, looking back at where it had been once he pulled to a stop.

“No, no no no!” Barry said as he sunk to his knees, realizing what this meant. “NOOOOOOO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s another short chapter, but next chapter we’ll get the ball rolling as Alexei/Savitar’s plan starts to become ab it clearer.


	58. Extreme methods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As The Avengers return to Earth-1, intent on saving Cisco, Barry struggles to make peace with his actions. Pietro confronts Alexei over his methods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if the title for this chapter sucks, I couldn’t think of a better one.

Alexei’s hideout  
Night

After dealing with the guards outside, The Avengers entered the building. Seeing three unconscious guards, they realized Barry had already been there. As they passed the guards, Clint saw that one’s shoulder was wounded. Suddenly, they heard a loud crash and what sounded like Barry screaming. Without a word, they all rushed towards the sound and entered a room to see Barry throwing what looked like the shattered pieces of a table across the room. Looking around, they saw the room was full of broken things, likely broken by Barry.

“Barry?” Steve said as he cautiously entered the room.

“I failed,” Barry said in a low voice. “Alexi and Pietro took Cisco through a breach. They went back to Earth-1 and are probably going to find that stone and free Savitar. And we are stuck here while Savitar sets the world on fire!”

“I would not say that Mr. Allen,” T’Challa said as, to everyone’s shock, he pulled out an extrapolator. “When Captain Rogers told me what had happened, I thought it best to bring this, just in case.”

“Thank you your highness,” Steve said gratefully as T’Challa handed it to him.

“Unfortunately my friends, this is where we must part ways. I have been away from Wakanda for too long,” T’Challa said regretfully.

“You’ve done more than enough. Thank you,” Barry said gratefully.

Star Labs, Earth-1  
Not long after

Caitlin was in the cortex, the only one still awake at Star Labs. Laura and Joe had insisted Wanda go home and get some sleep when it became obvious that Barry and the others weren’t coming back tonight. Joe and Wally had also gone home after dropping Laura off at her and Clint’s apartment. Sam had crashed on the couch in the lounge after making Caitlin promise to wake him up if anything happened.

Caitlin was struggling to keep her eyes open when the computer beeped. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at it. Seeing it was the breach room, she activated the intercom.

“Sam, they’re back!” Caitlin shouted before jumping up and sprinting towards the breach room.

She made it to the room seconds before Sam, just after everyone stepped out. Her relief at seeing them back was short lived as she took in their expressions and noticed that Cisco was not with them. There was also a long haired man with a metal arm she didn’t recognize that was clearly too old to be Pietro. 

“Where’s Cisco?” Caitlin said the first thing that popped into her head and everyone exchanged a glance that made her and Sam uneasy.

“You might want to sit down Cait. It’s…sort of a long story,” Barry said.

Unspecified location, Earth-1  
Later

“No! I don’t care what you do, I’m not doing that!” Cisco shouted, struggling to stand after the beating Alexei had given him.

“You are truly strong Mr. Ramon. But every man has a weakness. For Mr. Allen, it’s his past, his shame over Flashpoint, the pain he feels over what happened to his parents. For you…it is your family.” 

Alexei pulled out a phone and flipped it around so Cisco could see the screen. Cisco paled as he saw his parents’ house on the screen.

“You stay the hell away from them!” Cisco shouted, attempting to move forward but Alexei simply shoved him back, causing Cisco to lose his balance and fall on his back.

“You would prefer a different outcome? Then you know what I want. So what will it be, your parents or Allen? You choice Mr. Ramon,” Alexei said sadistically and Cisco glared at him before sinking to his knees, a sense of defeat washing over him.

“Okay. I’ll do it…I’ll do it,” Cisco said in defeat.

Star Labs  
Same time

“Alright, so Cisco was captured by some guy who has an axe to grind with Nat and Clint who’s working with Savitar and Pietro?” Sam asked after they had explained everything. “But why Is Pietro working with this guy in the first place?”

“I think I have an idea,” Barry said and they all looked over at him. “Before they left through the breach, Pietro and I had words. He said that we became enemies when we sold out Wanda.”

“What?” Clint asked confused.

“I think Alexei was somehow able to get video or photos from the Raft and convince Pietro that we handed Wanda over to Ross,” Barry explained.

“It makes sense. Wanda is all Pietro has and he didn’t have much reason to trust us,” Steve nodded in agreement with Barry’s theory. 

“Okay, so how do we convince him we didn’t sell her out?” Sam asked.

“Wanda,” Natasha said and Clint nodded. “He’ll listen to her. But first we gotta find him.”

“Cait, take Tony into the cortex, give him access to the Star Labs satellite. Tony, I want you to scan the city’s traffic cams for Pietro, Alexei, and Cisco,” Barry ordered.

“Who put you in charge?” Tony wondered.

“His city, his building, his earth, so you’ll do whatever the hell the man says,” Sam snarked and Tony looked miffed but nevertheless, followed Caitlin out of the room.

“I’ll search the streets on my motorcycle,” Steve volunteered and Barry nodded as Steve walked out.

“I’ll search from the sky,” Sam said before following after Steve.

“You should get some rest kid,” Clint said as he noticed how exhausted Barry looked.

“I’ll sleep when we stop Alexei,” Barry said moving to walk off but Natasha put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re no help to anyone if you run yourself into the ground. Go get some sleep. We’ll wake you if we find anything,” Natasha assured him.

“And you know it’s bad if Nat is telling you to take it easy,” Clint joked and Barry cracked a smile as Natasha rolled her eyes.

Behind them, Bucky watched all this, a strange feeling of nostalgia and longing welling up in him. It took him a moment to realize why: the sense of comradery and family between them reminded him of his days with the Howling Commandos. 

Unspecified location  
Not long after

“What did you do to him?” Pietro asked as he eyed Cisco across the room, noting the bruises and injuries Cisco now sported.

“What I had to do to ensure his cooperation Pietro. I’m not the bad guy here Pietro, we’re on the same side,” Alexei said as he faced Pietro.

“Are we? Because it’s starting to feel a lot like Hydra,” Pietro snapped.

“Sometimes extreme measures are necessary Pietro. I have only done what I have to do in order to free Lord Savitar. It will all be worth it Pietro, you will see when you have your sister back,” Alexei said smoothly and saw, to his satisfaction, Pietro’s doubt vanish just a little. “Keep an eye on him and don’t believe a word he says. He’ll say anything to save his own skin.”

“Where are you going?” Pietro asked as Alexei began to walk off.

“In order to free Lord Savitar, we still need the stone. And only one person knows where it is. I have to go pay Lyla Michaels a visit,” unseen to Pietro, a deadly smirk had crossed Alexei’s face as he walked off. 

Star Labs  
Same time

Barry was in the lounge, sitting on one of the couches. He was staring down at the hand he had used to make the guard talk, now clean of blood. He remembered how it had felt, the feel of blood and bone around his hand as it tore into the guard’s shoulder, his scream of agony. It made Barry shutter just thinking about it.

“Hey,” Barry looked up as Clint walked in. “I thought you were supposed to be heading home?”

“I wouldn’t know what to tell Wanda even if I did,” Barry admitted.

“Fair enough, but why aren’t you sleeping?” Clint asked and Barry sighed.

“Every time I close my eyes…I see what I did. I tortured that guard,” Barry said in guilt and Clint nodded.

“I saw his shoulder. You didn’t do too much damage,” Clint said but Barry shook his head.

“That’s not the point Clint. He pushed the right buttons and I tortured him. Three years ago, I told Oliver I don’t go around torturing everyone who pisses me off. Well, apparently I do,” Barry laughed humorlessly. “Since I’ve been back, I’ve dismissed Joe’s worry that I’ve changed but…maybe he’s right. The old me never would have tortured someone. Maybe I’ve changed even more than I thought.”

“You ever think maybe that’s a good thing?” Clint asked and Barry looked at him incredulously. “I remember the guy you were when you first showed up on our Earth. That you, he saw things in black and white, something was either clear cut good or clear cut wrong. Nothing you said was ever going to change his mind. The guy I’m talking to right now is different. He knows the world is a lot more complicated than that. That it’s full of grey, and he’s willing to make the hard calls if he has to. You’re a soldier Barry, just like the rest of us. You’ve changed, but maybe that makes you a better hero, because you’re willing to do what needs to be done to save lives.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Barry said with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Now get some rest kid, I have a feeling we’re gonna be in for the fight of our lives, and we’ll need you,” Clint told him and Barry nodded.

“Alright. Maybe I can close my eyes for a few minutes,” Barry said sleepily, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, already drifting off to sleep.

“Here’s a spare room, you can rest here until we find somewhere else for you to sleep,” Natasha said as she led Bucky into the quarters that had been vacant since Lyla had set Clint and Laura up with an apartment.

“I’m wide awake. I guess I’m still on Wakanda time. But thank you,” Bucky said as he looked over at her and she nodded, looking away.

“I know Steve appreciates you coming to help him,” Natasha said.

“I didn’t come just to help him,” Bucky said softly as he gave her a significant look. 

Natasha had nothing to say to that, as her heart started hammering in her chest so fast she was surprised she didn’t give herself a stroke. For the first time since the Red Room, she felt vulnerable. Which was fitting, she supposed, as he was the only one in the Red Room she had allowed herself to be vulnerable with. 

“I’ll let you get settled in then,” Natasha said awkwardly before turning and walking out. 

As she all but ran out of there, Bucky smirked in amusement.

“This is gonna be fun,” Bucky decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know not a whole lot happened again, but there will be several significant developments next chapter.


	59. Alexei's next move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexei begins targeting allies and loved ones of The Avengers as he gets much closer to freeing Savitar.

Argus base  
Night

Lyla was walking down the hall to her office when she stopped, staring at several operatives on the floor. Their throats were cut and blood was on the floor. Judging by the radios and guns on the floor near them, they had tried to fight back or call for help, possibly both, but had been unable to. And the trail of death led straight to her office.

“This is Director Michaels,” Lyla said after she pulled out her radio. “Someone has infiltrated the base. Move to my office, requesting back up.”

Lyla then pocketed her radio and pulled out a gun. She cautiously moved towards her office, her heart pounding in her ear. Opening the door, she found a blonde haired man, late twenties or early thirties, sitting at her desk, typing at her computer.

“Hands where I can see them,” Lyla said as she aimed her gun at the man, who only smirked.

“You should change your password. The date of your divorce will only take a slight research into your background to guess,” Alexei said as he got to his feet. 

“Who are you?” Lyla demanded, hoping backup was on their way.

“I am but a loyal follower. You have something that belongs to my lord. He would like it back,” Alexei explained and Lyla narrowed her eyes.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m not giving you anything,” Lyla said and a smirk crossed Alexei’s face.

“That’s where you’re wrong Lyla. One way or another, you’re going to tell me where you put the stone,” Alexei said and Lyla’s eyes widened as she realized what he was after. “The time of Lord Savitar is at hand.”

“You’re not getting your hands on that stone,” Lyla said firmly, Barry’s warnings flashing through her mind.

“You don’t have a choice in the matter. It has already been written,” Alexei said before he reached for his belt.

Lyla fired but Alexei easily moved to the side, dodging her line of fire as he grabbed the disk. He threw it and, before Lyla could fire off another shot, it knocked the gun out of her hand. Lyla ducked as the disk hit the wall and rebounded back towards her head. Lyla managed to duck in time and Alexei jumped into the air, caught the disk and replaced it on his belt before sending a flying kick to Lyla’s waist. She went flying into the wall and Alexei took advantage to grab her and throw her to the ground, putting her in a neck lock.

“Tell me where the stone is or I will make sure that your family doesn’t live another day,” Alexei whispered in her ear.

“You won’t touch them,” Lyla snarled against his grip.

“Your husband is a vigilante; it would be too easy for me to get to him. And your son is an easy target as well. And even if you get them to safety, your sister, your mother, your father, they are all targets. And I’m not alone in this. Lord Savitar has many servants who would be happy to carry out his will. Now, tell me where you put the stone or, with one call, I can make sure you will never see your family again.”

Lyla wanted to tell him to go to hell, that she would never tell him the location of the stone. But, unlike Amanda Waller, she had regard for the value of human life. And, if anything this man was saying was true, she couldn’t allow him and whoever he was working with to come after her family. So, reluctantly, she told him what he wanted to know.

Moments later, Various Argus guards burst in, making a line to block the exit as they aimed their guns at Alexei.

“Step away from the director and no one gets hurt douche bag,” one of the operatives barked and Alexei smirked.

“But of course,” Alexei said as he removed his arms from around Lyla and got to his feet, holding his hands up, although his hands were clenched into fists. “I’ve gotten what I wanted anyway.”

Alexei opened his fists and a small ball, around the size of a marble, fell to the floor, rolling passed Lyla’s leg. When it started beeping, flashing red and thebeeps getting faster and faster, Lyla's eyes widened in horror.

“Everyone get down!” Lyla shouted but it was too late as the building was rocked by an explosion.

Barry and Wanda’s apartment, next day  
Morning

Wanda’s alarm went off and she sleepily waved her hand, using her powers to turn it off. Wanda managed to get herself out of bed, which was no easy task, given she was five and a half months pregnant. She threw on a bathrobe and walked out of her bedroom. She was halfway to the bathroom when she stopped. She turned her head and saw Barry sitting on the couch. He was deep in thought, his hands linked in front of him. He hadn’t noticed her yet.

“Barry?” Wanda called out and Barry looked up, seeing she was awake.

“Hey,” Barry said, getting up as she waddled over to him, throwing her arms around him. “I’m sorry I didn’t wake you, I wanted you to get some rest. And I needed time to think.”

“Think about what? My brother, is he…” Wanda trailed off fearfully as she released Barry and he sighed.

“He’s alive. But…it’s complicated Wanda. You might want to sit down, because you won’t like what I’m about to tell you,” Barry said and Wanda’s heart froze in panic.

Argus medical building  
Same time

“Where the hell is my wife?!” John Diggle demanded as he burst in, Oliver on his heels.

“John, calm down,” Oliver told him.

“You calm down!” Diggle barked as a medic approached them.

“Mr. Diggle, I understand that you are worried, but please, you are disrupting the doctors from treating their patients,” the medic said and Diggle sighed as Oliver put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Diggle said and the medic nodded in understanding. “What happened to my wife?”

“I don’t know all the details, but someone infiltrated the Argus base in Star City and set off an explosive. Several agents were killed in the following explosion, but thankfully, Director Michaels survived. She’s in recovery at the moment. She won’t wake up for a while,” the medic explained and Diggle nodded.

“Mr. Diggle,” Diggle and Oliver looked over at a man in an Argus suit walking over to them. “My name is Rick Flag; I work closely with your wife.”

“Yeah, she’s mentioned you,” Diggle said as they shook hands. “This is Oliver Queen.”

“What happened?” Oliver asked.

“Honestly, I’m not completely sure. Lyla was on her way to her office when she put out a call that someone had infiltrated the base and called for backup. Less than ten minutes later, whoever it was blew up her office and part of the building. According to the logs, this person had accessed Lyla’s personal account of the Argus database, which has information only she has access to,” Rick explained and Oliver and Diggle exchanged a glance. “Before she went under, Lyla mentioned something about a stone. Does that mean anything to either of you?”

“No,” Diggle said and Oliver shook his head.

“Do you know what this person was looking for?” Oliver inquired.

“With Lyla currently unable to lead, I am acting Director of Argus, which gives me the ability to view her account. The last thing this psychopath looked at before he set off the explosive was the current location and address of someone named Clint Barton,” Rick explained.

Baton Apartment  
Same time

Clint had decided to spend some time with his family while they waited for word on Alexei and Pietro. Clint was in the living room, watching with a content smile as Lila and Cooper played while he himself was holding Nate. Laura then walked in, holding a package with a confused look on her face.

“Clint, do you know someone in Russia? Because we just got a package from someone there,” Laura said as she looked down at the box.

Clint whipped his head towards the box, zeroing in on it. He paled as he realized who had sent it. Quickly, Clint set Nate safely on the couch, jumped to his feet, raced over and snatched the package out of Laura’s hands. He raced away from his confused family into kitchen and open window before chucking the package out the window.

“Get back!” Clint shouted before the explosive goes off.

Luckily, the box is far enough away that the apartment that the brunt of the blast missed it. However, the apartment still got hit and Clint is pushed back by the force of it. He landed on his back, hard, a ringing in his ear as Laura rushed to his side.

“Clint, are you alright? Clint?” Laura asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Clint said gruffly, sitting up, wincing at some of the burns on his arm and looking around at what was once the kitchen wall, now missing a wall. “But Alexei? He’s a dead man walking.”

Barry and Wanda’s apartment  
Not long after

“So…my brother is working for Savitar,” Wanda said, trying to digest the information.

“He’s working for Alexei, who’s working for Savitar,” Barry corrected her. “I don’t think Pietro knows what’s going on. I think Alexei is using lies mixed in with a little truth to convince Pietro that you’re in danger and we’re the enemy so he’ll help him. We just gotta show him he’s being manipulated.”

Wanda nodded slowly, although it was clear this was a hard pill for her to swallow. Before Barry could say anything else, his phone rang. Digging it out, Barry saw Natasha’s name flash across the screen.

“It’s Nat, maybe’s got something,” Barry said before answering. “Hey Nat, anything?...What?!”

Star Labs  
Afternoon

“It was Alexei, it had to be,” Clint said as Caitlin put some gel on his burns. “The package said it came from Russia.”

“It doesn’t fit his pattern, how would bombing your family help?” Barry asked confused.

“Revenge,” Bucky said knowingly and Clint nodded.

“He’s still angry about what happened all those years ago. Now he’s settling the score,” Natasha noted.

“So we have an extremist with an axe to grind, great,” Wally said sarcastically as Barry’s phone rang.

“Oliver, now is not a good time,” Barry said as he answered but stopped as Oliver stop. “What?”

Argus medical building  
Later in the afternoon

“She woke up, the first words out of her mouth were ‘Call Barry’,” Diggle said as he led Barry through the hall.

“How is she Dig?” Barry asked concerned.

“She’ll be on bed rest for a while, but she’ll be alright in a few months,” Diggle said and Barry was relieved. “Who is this guy Barry?”

“I’d rather only tell this story once,” Barry said and Diggle nodded as they entered the room, where Oliver and Lyla were waiting.

“Barry, I’m sorry,” Lyla said as they saw him.

“What happened Lyla?” Barry asked concerned.

“He broke into my office and got the location of the stone out of me. I’m sorry Barry, but he threatened my family and I don’t doubt that he can carry through on his threats,” Lyla said apologetically.

“It’s okay Lyla, I would have done the same thing,” Barry assured her.

“What is this stone and who is this guy?” Oliver asked as Barry sighed.

“The recent threat we’ve been dealing with is Savitar, he’s apparently the first Speedster. He’s faster than anything I have ever seen,” Barry said, shuttering as he remembered his fight with Savitar. “We discovered that he’s trapped in the Speed Force and uses the stone to possess an ordinary human. That stone is also the key to him getting out.”

“So, a Speed God can get out with this magic stone? I swear Barry-” Diggle began.

“I know, I know, your life was somewhat normal before me. Lyla, where’d you put the stone?” Barry asked.

“The moon,” Lyla said and the three men stared at her in stunned disbelief.

“I’m sorry, what?” Diggle asked after a moment. 

“Right around the time Barry came to me with the stone; Argus had finished construction for a prison on the moon. It was designed in the event that a prisoner was too dangerous to put on Lian Yu or that the Lian Yu prison was ever compromised. You didn’t want it found, so I put it somewhere where no one would ever find it,” Lyla explained.

“And if it had stayed lost, I’d thank you for that. But since Alexei knows where it is, it’s gonna be a lot harder to protect,” Barry sighed.

“Who is this guy Barry?” Diggle asked.

“Alexei Shostakov, he’s from Earth-66 like The Avengers. He’s an ex-KGB agent gone rogue. Back in the day, he went up against Natasha and Clint, it went south. Now he’s out for revenge and he’s working for Savitar. He’s manipulating Wanda’s brother into working for him, kidnapped Cisco, and nearly killed Clint’s family this morning. If Clint hadn’t been there…” Barry trailed off but they got it.

“We need to get this son of a bitch,” Diggle said but Barry shook his head.

“From the sounds of it, you have your own problems back in Star City. Let us handle Alexei and Savitar. After what he pulled today, I’ll be surprised if Alexei makes it through the week,” Barry said, shuttering as he imagined what Clint was going to do to Alexei.

Star Labs  
Same time

Clint was getting his arrows ready when Steve walked in.

“You sure you’re okay to go out there?” Steve inquired.

“A psychopath is after my family Cap,” Clint said bluntly and Steve nodded.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do…but I need to know, what are you going to do what we find Alexei?” Steve inquired and Clint smiled darkly as he snapped his bow together.

“Cap, words haven’t been invented yet,” Clint promised.

The moon  
Same time

An Argus agent was shot and went down, bleeding out. Alexei lowered the gun and walked passed him, the last in a long trail of bodies he had left since arriving in this moon base prison. Alexei opened the door and walked in to the room. There was nothing there, save a table with a box on it. Smirking, Alexei opened the box and smiled as he saw the stone inside.

“Soon, soon Lord Savitar you will walk among us once more,” Alexei smirked, laughing manically as a white/blue mist began to fill the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the Rick Flag cameo. Before you guys ask, I honestly don’t plan to have Rick play a huge roll in the rest of the story, but he’ll probably appear again.


	60. Savitar's escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers attempt to stop Pietro and Alexei from unleashing Savitar as Alexei prepares for Savitar's arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. Here’s the next chapter and it’s a doozy.

Star Labs  
Afternoon

“So, I have some bad news,” Barry said as he walked into the cortex, where The Avengers and Team Flash were waiting. “Alexei has the stone.”

“How the hell does he have the stone!?” Clint exploded as he stalked towards Barry.

“He got the information from Lyla’s secure account, he found out where she hid the stone. By the time Lyla told me where she put it, he’d already gotten his hands on it,” Barry explained.

Alexei’s hideout  
Same time

“Where have you been?” Pietro questioned as Alexei walked in, holding the box. “And what is that?”

“I have been getting the one thing we need to free Lord Savitar,” Alexei put the box on a table and opened it up so Pietro could see the stone. “The age of Lord Savitar is at hand Pietro. All thanks to you.”

Star Labs  
Same time

“If Alexei has the stone, he still needs to be able to open a portal to the Speed Force, right?” Wally asked.

“My guess is that’s what he has Pietro for,” Barry noted.

“But Speedy isn’t as fast as you,” Tony pointed out.

“And he doesn’t have access to the Speed Force,” Caitlin added.

“Which is why he took Cisco,” Steve realized and Barry nodded.

“He’s probably forced Cisco to make a device that will make Pietro faster and give him access to the Speed Force,” Barry explained.

“Letting Savitar out and Pietro won’t realize what he’s done until it’s too late,” Bucky noted and Steve nodded.

“Which is why we have to find my brother and show him the truth before it’s too late,” Wanda said in a voice that left no room for argument. 

“Tony, anything on facial recognition?” Barry asked as Tony looked it over one more time.

“No, nothing…wait. About ten minutes ago, Alexei was seen near a power plant ten miles outside Central City,” Tony said, already looking into it. “The plant was shut down five years ago, which make last night’s power surge very strange.”

“Alexei knows how to avoid facial recognition. If we found him, it’s because he wants us to come,” Natasha warned them.

“We don’t have a choice Nat. We can’t let Savitar get out,” Steve argued and Natasha reluctantly had to agree.

“Wanda and I will go after Pietro, try and reason with him. The rest of you, go after Alexei and Cisco,” Barry ordered as they prepared to suit up.

Alexei’s hideout  
Not long after

“Here,” Cisco sneered as he handed a device to Alexei that looked like a cross between a watch and an ankle monitor. 

“And this will do as I want?” Alexei asked pointedly and the words ‘if looks could kill’ came to mind as Cisco glared at him hatefully.

“It will make Pietro faster and the tachyons you gave me will give him access to the Speed Force as long as he wears it. And you know that, just get on with it,” Cisco sneered and Alexei smirked.

“I have to be prepared Mr. Ramon. And the other thing I asked of you?” Alexei asked.

Cisco gave him the blackest look before going over and picking up a scepter. He handed it to Alexei, who inspected it briefly.

“Remarkable. You truly have outdone yourself,” Alexei said impressed before putting the scepter down.

Alexei reached inside his pocket and pulled out what at first appeared to be a small box. But Alexei put it on the floor, pushed a button and stepped back. Immediately, Vision was there, still held captive in the machine. Alexei picked up the scepter and Cisco looked away, unable to watch what would happen next. 

“I am sorry for this Vision…but we all have our roles to play,” Alexei said as he held the scepter up to Vision’s forehead. 

Vision suddenly screamed in pain before the stone in the center of his forehead flew out of Vision’s forehead and into the scepter. Vision’s eyes lost the light in them, quite literally, and he slumped lifelessly in the machine as the scepter glowed a bright yellow. Cisco looked back towards Vision, self-loathing filling his entire being.

Alexei then walked over to Pietro, handing him the device.

“Put that on and you know what to do,” Alexei told him.

As Pietro put the device on his wrist, strapping it on, Alexei jumped in front of him, waving the scepter. A blue wave of energy emerged, knocking the arrow away from them. Pietro looked up to see Clint aiming his bow at Alexei.

“Kid, you’ve been played,” Clint tried to tell Pietro, not taking his eyes off Alexei. “Wanda is fine.”

“He’s lying to you Pietro, just like they lied to her,” Alexei said smoothly as he saw Pietro hesitate. “If you do not act now, then Lord Savitar will remain trapped and Wanda will remain a prisoner. Run Pietro, run!”

Pietro pushed the button and sped off, feeling the speed rushing through him. Alexei smirked before turning to Clint.

“You shouldn’t have come alone,” Alexei said and was surprised when Clint smirked.

“I didn’t.”

Suddenly, the roof of the building had a hole in in it as Tony flew in, making his way over to Cisco as Sam followed in after him. Natasha, Bucky, and Steve then jumped out of the shadows, Bucky aiming a rifle at Alexei while Natasha and Steve aimed pistols at him.

“Am I glad to see you guys,” Cisco said relieved as Tony began using a torch in his suit to cut through the power dampening collar around his neck. “But Pietro-”

“Don’t worry, Allen and Wanda are on it,” Natasha said, not taking her eyes of Alexei as she spotted what he was holding. “Is it me or is that-” 

“Loki’s scepter? Yes,” Alexei said smugly as he gestured with his head towards Vision and the machine that held him. “Vision was not too happy to give up the stone but he had little choice in the matter.”

“You’re gonna pay for what you’ve done Alexei,” Steve said and Alexei smirked.

“You’re focusing all your attention on me when you should be focusing on the poor, misguided fool who will bring about your destruction,” Alexei told them.

Outside, Pietro was running around, trying to open up a portal to the Speed Force. As he was running, he saw Barry sped up behind him but, to his satisfaction, he saw that Barry couldn’t keep up with him.

“Pietro, you need to stop!” Barry tried to warn him.

“Shut up!” Pietro snarled, speeding up and leaving Barry in the dust.

As he sped up, a blue portal opened up and, to Barry’s horror, Pietro threw the stone.

“No!” Barry cried out, speeding towards it.

Barry was only seconds behind it, desperately trying to grab it before it went into the portal. But he missed it by a hair and it went into the blue portal. Immediately, something seemed to spike as lightning seemed to shoot out of the sides of the portal. Barry backed up in horror, knowing he had failed.

“What did you do?” Barry asked in horror.

“I saved my sister,” Pietro said firmly.

“No, you didn’t,” Wanda said as she walked onto the scene.

“Wanda?” Pietro asked in shock.

Wanda then waved her hand and the ground came up around Pietro, trapping his arms and legs in stone casings.

“Stay put. You’ve done enough damage,” Wanda snapped as Pietro looked at her swollen stomach, realizing that Clint had been right.

Inside the building, Tony finished cutting through Cisco’s collar as they heard the sound of what appeared to be lightning.

“What is that?” Tony asked as Alexei chuckled.

“Lord Savitar is coming,” Alexei said and they stiffed. “And I will be there to greet him.”

Alexei tapped the hilt of the scepter on the floor and The Avengers and Cisco were all thrown back by a wave of blue energy. They landed on their backs, painfully, and as they sat up, they realized Alexei had fled.

Outside, Barry and Wanda could only watch in horror as Savitar jumped out of the portal, landing on his knees. The portal close behind him as Savitar took it all in.

“The ground…the air…I’m free!” Savitar roared as he got to his feet.

“Lord Savitar, at least we meet,” Alexei said as he walked forward, bowing before him, presenting the scepter to him. “Your weapon, my master.”

“In a moment,” Savitar said as he got to his feet, looking over at Pietro. “I must thank you Pietro. It was you who freed me. A shame it was all based on a lie. We could have done great things together.”

“You lied to me,” Pietro said as he looked at Alexei betrayed, who only smirked as he got to his feet.

“You saw what you wanted to see. Not that surprising, given your childhood. But still, you ignored your instincts and better judgment. This is your doing Pietro, not mine,” Alexei told him coldly as the other Avengers and Cisco joined them outside, seeing Savitar. 

“Savitar I presume?” Steve said and Savitar laughed.

“Your time is at end Captain. Soon, you will all fall by my hand. I’m the one enemy you cannot defeat!” Savitar ranted.

“What do you want? Who are you?!” Barry sneered.

Savitar merely laughed before getting on his knees and bending forward. His armor bent back, opening up, revealing a man inside. As the man stepped out, everyone stared in absolute shock, none more so than Barry and Cisco.

“Like, I told you, I’m the one enemy you cannot defeat. I know everything every about you. Your strengths, your weaknesses. I know every move you will make before you make it. Because I was there…when I was you Barry,” Savitar said, a smirk crossing the face of Barry Allen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get to the big reveal, I want to talk to you about something else. As some of you probably noticed, no one took Savitar’s place in the Speed Force. This is because that never made any sense to me. Barry is a rather kind hearted individual; one of Barry’s core character trait is how much he cares about people. Tracy, who created the Speed Force Prison, was also shown to be a kind hearted individual. Granted, she may have been a different person when hse created it, but the point is, the two people who came up with the idea for the prison were two people that would not want to have an innocent person suffer. So they would have ensured that Savitar alone would suffer the effects of the prison, not anyone else. The whole ‘someone must take the place of Savitar in the prison’ makes no sense when you look at who Barry and Tracy are. Yeah, Barry was pretty vengeful but he would have wanted Savitar and Savitar lone to suffer, no one else. Makes no sense.
> 
> Now, onto Savitar himself. Savitar is not a time remnant; he is not some weird alternate version of Barry. Savitar is Barry from the future. This is why the message in Invasion was from Oliver and why it was Wally who trapped Savitar. Savitar being Barry from the future could have worked if done right and explained properly, which I hope the way I explain it will work. But the writers made it so confusing and so convoluted, to this day, I’m still not sure I completely understand it. Every time I try to figure it out, I just end up getting more confused and giving myself a migraine. We don’t even get a proper explanation for the time remnant; all we get are the crazed rantings of an unreliable narrator.


	61. The secret origin of Savitar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Savitar explains his origin as Cisco's secret comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter explains how Barry can be Savitar, next chapter will deal with the fallout of how that will affect things. And, for visuals, Savitar doesn’t have that stupid scar, because what was up with that?

Central City  
Night

“It’s like looking in a mirror, isn’t it?” Savitar asked, smirking at the stunned Barry.

“This-this can’t be possible. You can’t be me!” Barry exclaimed once he found his voice and Savitar’s smirk only widened.

“But I am you Barry. I am the future Flash,” Savitar said mockingly.

“How did you become Savitar?” Natasha asked as The Avengers found their voices and Savitar laughed crazily.

“Cisco knows. Isn’t that right buddy?” Savitar asked as they all looked at the stunned Cisco. “He’s already seen it.”

“My Vibe,” Cisco realized and Savitar nodded.

“Yeah, that’s where it all started,” Savitar confirmed.

“Cisco, what are you talking about?” Barry asked and Cisco looked away.

“When you gave the stone to Lyla, I…had a Vibe. I wanted to tell you, but Jay convinced me not to,” Cisco said guilt clouding his features.

“What did you see?” Steve demanded.

“You, Tony, and Clint, all dead,” Cisco said, shuttering as a shocked silence descended on them. “Barry was on his knees, he looked like he’d been through the ringer. Savitar had Wanda; she looked like she was ready to give birth soon. And…”

“He killed her,” Clint whispered and Cisco nodded, unable to look at any of them.

“And that’s where it all started,” Savitar repeated, drawing their attention back to him. “You see, what I said was true: Savitar did kill The Avengers. Clint, Steve, Natasha, Sam, Tony, even Bucky and Rhodey were all killed. And he saved the best for last; he murdered Wanda and our unborn child right in front of me. For weeks, the Red Death tormented me with visions of my dead teammates, asking why I couldn’t save them. Then one day, I realized that I wasn’t able to save them because I wasn’t meant to. This was meant to happen.”

“We were meant to lose everything?” Barry demanded his emotions clearly visible for all to see his despair at what he was hearing.

“As cruel as it sounds, yes. You see, I realized that I needed to go through that loss to realize what had to happen. So I killed the first Savitar and took his suit,” Savitar said as he glanced behind him to his armor. “But Wally, Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, they’d figured out my plan. They knew what I was going to do next. And so Wally went to The Legends and they gave him the technology he needed to trap me in the Speed Force. So I searched for someone who would free me.”

“And you found him,” Natasha said, shooting a look at Alexei.

“So what, now you’re gonna just continue the cycle? Kill us yourself?” Tony demanded and Savitar laughed.

“No, I have no interest in killing you. That was just…part of the plan. I have a much bigger plan in mind,” Savitar promised and Barry had heard enough.

“Well what happens if I kill myself right now?” Barry asked as, to the horror of his friends, he held a vibrating hand to his own throat. “You’ll never become Savitar.”

“Didn’t work out so well for Eddie, did it?” Savitar pointed out and Barry stiffened. “He killed himself and Thawne is still running around causing trouble. Because that’s the thing about time travel: the more you do it, the less the rules apply to you.” 

“What do you want?” Wanda snapped and Savitar simply looked at her sadly. 

“I’m afraid that’s what I can’t tell you. Just know that everything I’m doing, I’m doing because I believe it will save lives,” Savitar promised. 

“Yeah? What about Pepper?” Tony snarled and Savitar simply looked at him blankly.

“A regrettable sacrifice Tony, but a necessary one. I mourn for Pepper as I mourn for all those who have died since I arrived here. But still, it does not change what needs to happen,” Savitar held out his hand and Alexei handed him the scepter.

Savitar tapped the hilt of the staff on the ground and suddenly, a blue energy shot out, knocking them all on their backs. As they climbed to their feet, they saw Savitar, Alexei, and the armor were all gone.

Star Labs  
Later

“Okay, run this by me again. How exactly can Barry be Savitar?” Joe asked as The Avengers and Team Flash stood in the cortex.

“Okay, it’s like this,” Cisco said, pulling out a marker as he began writing on a blackboard. “Here is the original timeline where the original Savitar killed The Avengers. That Barry was tormented by hallucinations caused by the Red Death until he had a psychotic break with reality. That Barry then killed the first Savitar and took his armor, becoming The Savitar we’ve been dealing with. But when our future selves figured out what Savitar was planning, Wally went to the Legends and came back with the technology that would trap Savitar in the Speed Force.”

Cisco had drawn a line in the center of the blackboard, drawing a dot on it to symbolize the time where Barry had become Savitar. Cisco then drew another dot and drew an arrow, connecting the two dots.

“And then, Savitar recruited Alexei, creating the new timeline that we’re living in right now,” Cisco finished.

“What about this other Savitar?” Joe interjected. “Who is he?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s dead, we have to deal with the Savitar in this timeline,” Natasha said firmly.

“According to him - if Savitar’s word can be trusted – your future selves figured out what he was planning and trapped him in the Speed Force before he could do whatever it is. Whatever it is, it can’t be good if they were willing to go that far to stop him,” Barry noted grimly.

Unspecified location, next day  
Morning

A man was walking out of his bedroom, yawning as he thought about what he was going to make for breakfast. However, he stopped as he noticed someone was in his kitchen. Savitar leaned against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee, his scepter in hand.

“Barry?” the man breathed and Savitar smirked as he lowered his coffee to the counter.

“Hello Roy. We need to talk,” Savitar said as Roy noticed the look in his eye and had a feeling this was not a social call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope the Savitar explanation makes sense.


	62. Making a call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As everyone reels from the events of the previous days, Barry makes a decision that affects everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad most of you seem to like my Savitar origin. Here’s the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.

Star Labs  
Morning

Cisco was in his work shop, staring at something that was covered by a sheet. Caitlin walked into the room, catching Cisco staring at the object.

“What’s that?” she asked as she walked up to Cisco’s side.

“Barry’s new suit. I started working on it after The Dominators. I stopped for a bit after I got my Vibe, but then I decided to keep doing it. I was…trying to prove something. Not to anyone, but to myself, that I wasn’t gonna let what happened in my Vibe come true,” Cisco sighed. “They must hate me.”

“Why would they hate you?” Caitlin asked surprised.

“Because I didn’t tell them about my Vibe. Maybe if I had, we could’ve been prepared for this,” Cisco said, tormented by the possibility. 

“Cisco there was no way you could have predicted this, even if you had told them,” Caitlin was quick to assure him.

“She’s right,” the two of them looked up to see Steve lingering in the doorway. “There was no way for you to know the truth about Savitar or about Alexei. You couldn’t have known Cisco.”

“You mean…you guys don’t hate me?” Cisco asked and Steve smiled lightly.

“No, we don’t hate you. You made a call Cisco. I can’t say I agree with it, but I understand why you made it. You were trying to protect your best friend; none of us can fault you for that. I can’t say whether you made the right choice or not, just as I can’t say I would’ve made the same choice you did. You made a call Cisco, wondering what would’ve happened if you’d made a different call isn’t going to solve anything. We need you Cisco,” Steve told him earnestly.

Barry was in the speed lab, sitting on the steps of the treadmill as he thought about Savitar. Wanda walked in, seeing he was deep in thought. After a moment, she walked over, sitting down next to him. She didn’t say anything for a moment simply took his hand and waited for him to speak. She didn’t have to wait long.

“This is just…this is crazy,” Barry laughed humorlessly.

“I can’t imagine a world where you would do all this,” Wanda said.

“I can,” Barry said and she looked surprised. “If the Red Death drove me that far from sanity. There are days that it almost does, the only reason I don’t completely lose it is because of you, our friends and our family. I never told you this, but the first time I got injected with it…I almost shot myself in the head.”

“What?” Wanda asked after a moment of shock.

“The first time I got injected with it, after you guys went to go after Cindy and her Hydra cell. While you were gone, I had Oliver and Eddie telling me I bought pain and suffering into the lives of everyone I came into contact with. Suddenly, the gun was in my hand and I almost pulled the tripper,” Barry explained to Wanda’s horror.

“Why-why didn’t you?” She stammered out after a moment.

“My mom. I saw my mom; she told me that I couldn’t give up. That you guys still needed me. So I put the gun down and put on Tony’s suit for the first time. Then I ran to help you guys and then I asked you on our first date,” Barry smiled lightly at the memory before frowning. “So yeah, I can see how if he lost you, our child, and the others, The Red Death could have driven Savitar to this insanity. I saw the darkness in his eyes and I feel it inside me to. That urge to just lash out, to go to extraordinary means to save the people closest to me.”

“You think Savitar is doing all this to save us?” Wanda asked confused.

“In a way. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it so no one will ever feel the pain he felt when his Wanda and his Avengers were killed. He wouldn’t be doing all this if he didn’t love you guys as much as I do,” Barry explained. “In a lot of ways, I feel sorry for him, having to go through all that. I understand him…and that means I know what I have to do next.”

Clint and Natasha walked into the med bay where Pietro was. Pietro was cuffed to the bed he was laying on, something Wanda had insisted on. Pietro looked up as they entered the room.

“Well, you’ve had a busy few days kid,” Clint said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to him. “Coming out of a coma, teaming up with a psycho ex-KGB agent, kidnaping two people, and freeing Barry’s psycho future self. I miss anything Nat?”

“No, that about covers it,” Natasha noted as Pietro winced.

“I’m sorry,” Pietro said his voice filled with shame.

“Sorry is not gonna cut it kid. Alexei used your love for Wanda against you, we get that. But because of you, Vision is dead and Savitar is loose. You have a lot to make up for,” Clint told him stonily. 

“I know,” Pietro said looking as ashamed as he felt.

“Clint,” Natasha said warningly but Clint wasn’t done.

“I want to know something Pietro: did you know what Alexei was going to do to my family?” Clint demanded and Pietro was confused.

“I didn’t even know you had a family,” Pietro said honestly.

Clint stared at Pietro for a long moment, trying to find any signs of deception. But all he saw was honesty, regret and shame. So Clint pulled out a key and uncuffed him.

“You’re letting me go?” Pietro asked surprised as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“You’re not a threat, you were just doing what you thought you had to do to save your family, we get that,” Clint told him calmly.

“That’s not to say you weren’t an idiot about it, because you definitely were,” Natasha added and Pietro winced. “You have a lot to make for, especially to Cisco, Barry, and Wanda.”

“Now come on, Barry’s holding a team meeting,” Clint said as he got up.

Pietro sat there, stunned by this turn of events, before he got up and followed after them. The two led him into the cortex, where everyone else was waiting. Pietro recognized Steve, Tony and Cisco and he saw Wanda with a man who could only be Barry. Seeing Barry without his mask for the first time, Pietro almost laughed at how young Barry looked. Everyone else however, was a complete stranger to him.

“Pietro,” Wanda said coolly once she saw her brother, crossing her arms as she gave him a cold look that Pietro knew meant she was angry with him.

“Wanda,” Pietro said nervously, knowing his sister was one to hold a grudge.

It was a family trait, it seemed.

“Good to see you on your feet son,” Steve told him kindly in his usual Steve Rogers fashion.

“Pietro, nice to have you back with us,” Barry said as he walked over, offering his hand to Pietro.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused,” Pietro said guiltily, not taking Barry’s hand and Barry lowered it back to his side.

“That doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that we’re all on the same side now,” Steve said with Barry nodding his agreement.

“Tell that to Vision,” Pietro said in guilt.

“We actually might,” Cisco spoke up and they all looked over at hm. “With everything going om, I haven’t had time to tell you guys.”

“Tell us what?” Tony demanded.

“Alexei threatened my family to get me to cooperate. I couldn’t risk their safety. But I’m a lot smarter than that psycho. I remade the staff this Loki guy used to have and made it so the stone in Vision’s head would magnetically be attracted to the head of the scepter. But it also plunged Vision’s body into a sort of stasis. Basically, Vision’s body is in a sort of coma. If we can get the stone back into his head, it’ll be like Vision just woke up from a long nap,” Cisco explained.

“Where have you been all my life?” Tony asked, deciding then that he liked Cisco very much.

“You did good Cisco. I know you guys will be able to stop Savitar and get Vision back,” Barry said and they all turned to him, not liking the sound of that.

“Barry, why do you sound like you won’t be here to see it?” Caitlin asked hesitantly. 

“Because he won’t be,” Rick Flag said as he walked into the cortex.

“Who the hell are you?” Bucky demanded, instinctively reaching for the pistol in his side holsters.

“Easy Bucky,” Barry said, speeding over and stopping him. “This is Rick Flag, he’s an...associate of a friend.”

“Bar, what’s going on?” Joe asked as Barry winced.

“You didn’t tell them I take it?” Rick asked.

“I was just about to. Could you us a few minutes?” Barry asked.

Rick nodded, stepping outside to give them some privacy. 

“Barry, what is going on?” Wanda echoed Joe’s question, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach as Barry looked guilty.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you guys this sooner. But I knew if I did, you would’ve tried to talk me out of it and probably would have,” Barry sighed, running a hand over his face. “Savitar is me from the future. I’m not sure if that means, as the future changes, he’ll get my memories of this new timeline. If he does, he literally will know what we do before we do it. That’s a risk we can’t take. So I’m taking myself out of the picture.”

“What are you saying Barry?” Steve asked as Barry sighed.

“I made a deal with Lyla. Rick is going to transfer me to an Argus prison here in Central City. I’ll be safe there and I won’t be here, so Savitar won’t get any new memories. Once Savitar is dealt with, Lyla will let me out,” Barry explained to their horror.

“Barry, no. There has to be another way,” Caitlin said desperately and Barry smiled sadly.

“There isn’t and even if there was, it’s too late. I told Lyla that if I don’t go, she had permission to send an Argus task force to bring me in. This isn’t up for debate, okay? I made a call and this is it,” Barry said firmly although they could see in his eyes that he didn’t like it as much as they did.

“BA, the city, it needs the Flash,” HR pointed out.

“And it’ll have one,” Barry said firmly.

He looked over at Wally, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“It’ll have one,” Barry repeated, making his way over to Wally and putting a hand on his student’s shoulder. “Alright?”

“Yeah,” Wally said thickly, accepting the hug Barry gave him.

“Barry man…I don’t know what to say,” Sam said as Barry stepped back from Wally, turning to him. 

“Nothing to say man. Chances are, everyone’s gonna need someone to lean on. It should be you, okay man?” Barry said as he held out his hand to Sam.

“Yeah,” Sam said thickly, ignoring Barry’s hand and pulling the speedster into a bone crushing hug.

Once Sam led him go, Barry shook the solemn HR’s hand before turning to Tony. Tony wasn’t sure what Barry would say, a witty come back or a snide remark. So he was surprised when Barry held out a hand to Tony. After a moment, Tony shook his hand, a moment of understand passing between them. Not quite forgiveness, but something close to it at least. Something on the path to forgiveness. 

“I-I can’t let you do this,” Joe said as Barry turned to him. “You’re the kid, I’m the parent. It’s my job to protect you, not the other way around. I’m supposed to be the one to save you.”

“You did save me Joe,” Barry said as he put a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “You took in an eleven year old boy with a broken heart and gave him a home and so much love. No son ever felt more love from a father.”

“No father ever felt more proud of a son,” Joe said, his voice cracking as he hugged his son.

“Looks like you’re in charge now,” Barry said as he let go of Joe and turned to Steve, holding out his hand. “Take him down.”

For once, words failed Steve Rogers and he simply nodded, holding out his hand and Barry shook it in a hand shake. Barry then exchanged a hand shake with Bucky before turning to Ant.

“Try and keep them out of trouble, will you?” Barry asked lightly and Natasha smiled slightly, her emotions hidden behind her mask.

“You know I always do,” Natasha said as she hugged him goodbye.

“It’s gonna be different without you around kid,” Clint said as Barry let Natasha go and turned to him.

“Yeah, a moment,” Barry said, gesturing over to a corner further away from everyone else.

Clint looked confused but nodded, walking towards the corner Barry.

“About Tony…you need to try and find a way to move passed what happened,” Barry said and Clint tensed.

“You know what he did,” Clint said through gritted teeth.

‘”know, but Savitar, Alexei, and with Loki’s scepter this is bad Clint. You need to watch each’s backs. I’m not saying you need to forgive him, but you need to find a way to work with him. This might be one of the biggest threats we have ever faced before. I’m taking myself off the board, trusting that you guys will stop them. And I also need to trust that you can work out whatever you need to work out with Tony. Alright?” Barry said and Clint sighed.

“I’m not sure I’ll trust Tony again…but I’ll try to make it so that I can work with him without wanting to put an arrow in his chest,” Clint promised and Barry nodded.

“All I wanted to hear,” Barry said, clapping Clint on the shoulder before they rejoined the others.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Caitlin said as Barry approached her. “I-we could never have done this without you.”

“I was about to say the same thing about you,” Barry said to her surprise. “Whenever I get too caught up in my emotions to see the situation for what it is, you’re usually the one who pulls me back down to earth. I have never done this without you; I could never have become The Flash without you. You’re my best friend Cait; you’re one of the best people I know. Now, I need you to help keep everyone in line, alright?”

“Yeah,” Cait said, smiling tearfully as they hugged tightly.

Barry let her go, turning to Pietro. He held out his hand to the Uncle of his child and Pietro merely shook his hand, not sure what to say. He didn’t need to say anything, it seemed, as Barry dropped his hand and turned to Cisco.

“They’re all gonna look to you now,” Barry told him putting a hand on Cisco’s shoulder.

“I’m not a hero like you,” Cisco said thickly.

“You’ve always been my hero,” Barry said to Cisco’s shock. “And, whether you realize it or not, there is no Flash without Cisco Ramon. I could never have done this, become this, without you.”

Unable to form words, Cisco simply nodded as he hugged his best friend goodbye. Barry then let him go and turned to the only person he hadn’t said goodbye to, the hardest one to say it to.

“This-this cannot be how it ends,” Wanda said thickly, her lips trembling as he walked over to her.

“It won’t okay? It won’t,” Barry insisted as he took her face in his hands, making her look up at him. “This isn’t the end of our story. Our story is just beginning, but I need to do everything I can to make sure that happens. This is the best way I know how. You are the love of my life Wanda Maximoff and I swear on my mother’s grave that I will come back to you. I promise.”

Barry brought their foreheads together, kissing Wanda softly before Rick reentered the room.

“Are you ready?” Rick asked gently.

Barry nodded as he untangled himself from Wanda. He squeezed her hand softly before looking up at the others.

“I have faith that you will stop Savitar. And when you do, I’ll be there to greet you. Until then, just know that I love…most of you,” Barry said, looking at Tony and Pietro awkwardly before turning and holding his hands out to Rick, waiting to be cuffed. “I’m ready.”

“That won’t be necessary, you’re ridding up front with me,” Rick told him and Barry nodded.

As Barry and Rick walked over, Wanda put her hand to her face, beginning to cry. Pietro wanted to go to her but wasn’t sure that would be welcome. In any case, it didn’t matter, as Clint walked over and took her in his arms, trying to offer her comfort.

Unspecified location  
Not long after

“Lord Savitar, Allen gave himself over to Argus, exactly as you said he would,” Alexei told Savitar as Savitar sat in the corner, holding his scepter.

“Of course he did. I know him better anyone, because he’s me. Now, I think it’s time to use our new friend,” Savitar said, looking in the corner. 

He was looking at Roy, who stood robotically in place, his eyes glowing an unnatural blue.

“What do you need sir?” Roy asked obediently. 

“That depends: how rusty is your archery?” Savitar asked with a smirk.

Argus prison  
Afternoon

Barry was in a prison uniform, a power dampening collar around his neck. Rick was leading him to his cell.

“Just to warn you, your roommate is…quite an animal,” Rick told him as they neared his cell.

“I think I can handle it,” Barry said confidently and Rick shrugged.

“For your sake, I hope your right,” Rick said as they stopped in front of the cell. “You’ve got a new cellmate. You two better get along.”

Ricked opened the cell and Barry walked inside before Rick closed the door behind them. His cellmate was a man who looked to be in his early to mid-thirties, dressed in the same uniform as Barry. He had wild dark brown/ black hair and blue eyes. He looked up at Barry and Barry could tell this was not a man you wanted to mess with.

“What’s your name bub?”

“Barry. You?” Barry asked and the man gave a smirk.

“Name’s Logan. But around here, they call me The Wolverine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did alright with the goodbye scenes, I think I got everyone but tell me if I forgot someone.
> 
> Barry got Logan as his cellmate. And before anyone asks, yes, this is the same Logan from the flashbacks in my Arrow spin-off. How he came to be in an Argus prison will be revealed later.


	63. Savitar's ploy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Barry adjusts to his new cellmate, everyone deals with his decision. Savitar makes his next move, targeting someone from Team Flash's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not my best chapter but I hope you guys enjoy it.

Argus prison  
Morning

It was only day two in the prison and Barry was already to the point where he was ready to give up. This was inhumane. This was cruel. This was-

“I’m not sure this is even edible,” Barry told Logan as he stared this morning’s breakfast. “How can you eat this stuff?”

“I’ve had around a year to get used to it,” Logan shrugged as he took a bite of the gruel they had been served. “Trust me, they’ve served worse.”

“What’s your story anyway?” Barry asked and Logan gave him a blank look. “Come on, we’re stuck in here together, might as well pass the time somehow.”

“We’ve all got stories kid. You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine,” Logan said and Barry shrugged.

“Okay, but it’s a long one. When I was eleven, my mom was murdered…”

Star Labs  
Same time

With a cry, Wanda sent a blast of energy at her target, blowing the cut out of The Dominator to pieces. Wanda breathed heavily, looking at the various cut outs she had destroyed this morning.

“What did those poor cut outs ever do to you?” Wanda tensed as she heard her brother’s voice as he walked into the room. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“What do you want Pietro?” Wanda asked stiffly without turning to face him and heard him sigh.

“I was wondering if we could talk? If you want,” Pietro quickly added.

“If I want to talk, it certainly won’t be with you,” Wanda said in a clipped voice, turning and strutting passed him.

“Wanda,” Pietro suddenly sped in front of her, blocking her path. “Please, I know I made a mistake-”

“A mistake,” Wanda repeated, her hands trembling as they glowed red. “A mistake is forgetting to pick up dinner. You didn’t make a mistake Pietro, you made a choice to ignore your own judgement and listen to someone else. Didn’t it seem strange how he had you kidnap Cisco and tortured Vision!? You let Savitar out of his cage and now, Barry is in a prison designed to hold the worst of the worst, because of you!”

All the lights in the room suddenly shattered, plunging the room into darkness, the only light came from outside in the hall. Wanda breathed heavily, panting as Clint walked in.

“Everything okay in here?” Clint asked and neither Maximoff answered. “Wanda, you should go get ready.”

Wanda gave a brisk nod before walking out of the room without another word to her brother.

“Ready for what?” Pietro asked in concern.

“Check-up for the baby. Since Barry’s not here, I volunteered to take her,” Clint explained and saw the look on Pietro’s face. “Don’t do that kid.”

“Do what?” Pietro asked confused.

“Feel sorry for yourself. You don’t get to crawl up inside your self-pity; you don’t get to do that. Your sister is in hell right now because the guy she loves, a better man than either one of us, took himself away from all of us because he thought he was compromised. He made one of the most selfish decisions any one could have made because he trusted all us, including you, the guy who set all this in motion when you freed Savitar, to take that son of a bitch down. So you don’t get to feel sorry for yourself,” Clint said, getting in Pietro’s face. “You wanna make it up to her? Then help us take down Savitar so Barry can come home to her.”

Clint then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Pietro alone in the dark with only his thoughts for company.

Argus prison  
Same time

“And that’s how I ended up here,” Barry finished after telling Logan a modified version of the truth that would protect his identity as well as removed the more complicated part of the story like time travel and the Multiverse. 

“Interesting story but you’re full of shit,” Logan said bluntly, taking Barry back.

“I’m telling the truth Logan,” Barry insisted and Logan smirked at him.

“For the most part. But you edited or lied about certain parts. I’m not sure why, but when you want to tell me the whole truth, then you’ll get my story,” Logan said as he walked over and laid down in his bed.

Barry stared at him, wondering how he was able to figure that out. For the first time, he began to get a sense of who Logan was. He reminded Barry of Oliver and not in a good way.

Star Labs  
Afternoon 

Cisco groaned as he tossed the chair aside, frustration and anger on his face.

“Cisco, you need to calm down,” Caitlin told him.

“Calm down!? Our best friend put himself in jail to protect us, trusting us to stop Savitar and we can’t even find the son of a bitch! How am I supposed to calm down Cait?!” Cisco exploded.

Caitlin sighed, understanding ho Cisco was feeling. In truth, she felt the same way, that she was letting Barry down. But she knew it was worse for Cisco. In addition to his guilt over not telling them about his Vibe, Barry had essentially named Cisco leader of the team. And Cisco was being crushed under the burden of leadership. 

“I don’t know how to do this Cait,” Cisco said softly, leaning on the desk. “I don’t know how to do this without him.”

“I felt the same once,” the pair jumped, turning up to see Steve leaning against the doorway. “When Bucky fell out of the train, when I thought he was dead, for a minute, I didn’t know how to go on. I felt like I’d lost more than my best friend. I felt like I’d lost a part of myself.”

“How did you do it? How did you go on?” Cisco asked softly.

“I realized the world hadn’t stopped spinning just because Buck was gone. I needed to carry on; there were still enemies to fight and lives to save. And eventually, I got Bucky back. We’ll get Barry back to, once we beat Savitar,” Steve said confidently.

Before Cisco or Caitlin could respond, there was a beep from the computer. Cisco turned around, checking it.

“There’s a break in at Mercury Labs. An armed man has entered the building and is firing off a gun. Think it’s Alexei?” Cisco asked as he looked over at Steve.

“Good chance,” Steve said grimly.

“Tell Wally to meet us there,” Cisco told Caitlin before turning to Steve. “You ready to take this jackass down?” 

Steve simply nodded grimly. It was time to settle things with Alexei.

Mercury Labs  
Not long after

Cisco and Steve exited a breach and entered into chaos. A man in red leather was firing arrow after arrow, the arrows hitting their targets nearly every time. While Cisco stared in shock, Steve pulled out a pistol and fired. The archer jumped away, landing on the ground as the people ran.

“Roy?” Cisco finally found his voice. “Roy, what are you doing?”

“I must serve my master,” Roy said, his eyes glowing unnaturally blue.

“Savitar’s controlling him with the mind stone Cisco,” Steve explained, quickly realizing that Cisco knew this man. 

“How do we snap him out of it?!” Cisco demanded.

“Hit him in the head really hard,” Steve said simply.

Roy fired, forcing the pair to doge. Steve fired off a few shots at Roy but Roy was easily able to evade the bullets. Roy fired off an arrow but Steve easily evaded it. However, the arrow exploded, throwing Steve back as Roy fired another at Cisco. It flashed, temporarily blinding Cisco as Roy threw down a small ball, which exploded in a flash of black smoke. When it cleared, Roy was gone. 

“Damn, Oliver’s is not gonna be happy about this,” Cisco grumbled, his vision clearing as Steve got to his feet, Wally speeding in seconds after.

“What happened?” Wally asked, seeing them alone in the room.

“That’s what I’d like to know. Who was that Cisco?” Steve demanded.

“Roy Harper. He was Oliver’s partner until he had to fake his death,” Cisco explained as he got two blank looks. “It’s a long story, okay? But it doesn’t make sense, why would Savitar send him here to attack innocent people then have him run? It doesn’t make sense.” 

“Unless Roy was to keep us distracted,” Steve realized.

“Yeah, but distracted from what?” Cisco asked confused.

Savitar’s hideout  
Later in the afternoon

“Dr. McGee. It’s good to see you again,” Savitar said sitting on a make shift chair as Alexei threw Dr. McGee on her knees.

“Mr. Allen?” Dr. McGee said as she looked up at Savitar, shocked.

“Yes, I am Barry, just not the one you know,” Savitar got to his feet and walked over to her. “You’re going to help me Dr. McGee, whether you like it or not.”

Savitar put the head of the scepter to her chest and Dr. McGee stiffened. She gasped, in pain, as her veins seemed to glow blue before it faded. Her eyes then glowed blue, the same as Roy’s.

“How may I help you Mr. Allen?” Dr. McGee said as she got to her feet.

“First, call me Savitar. Second, I need you to do something for me. You see, I need you to help me…convince an old friend of mine to help us,” Savitar said with a cruel smirk.


	64. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reeling from the revelation that Roy is working for Savitar, Team Flash and the Avengers reach out to someone who might be able to shed some light on the situation. Barry and Logan get to know each other a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t updated in a few weeks, there are personal reasons I didn’t but I won’t bore you with them. 
> 
> Sorry this chapter is rather short, but next one will be longer.

Central City  
Mid-afternoon

Clint opened the door and helped Wanda into the passenger seat, to her annoyance. He was even more overprotective of her than when he found out she was going on a date with Barry (yes, Natasha and Laura had told her about that). She knew it was because he cared but it was a little smothering. Still she allowed him to help.

“So, we need to talk kid,” Clint said once he got in the driver’s seat.

“About what?” Wanda asked wearily, having a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he said based on the look on his face.

“Pietro. You need to find a way to forgive him,” Clint said and Wanda glared at him.

“He-”

“I know what he did and believe me I’m not happy with him myself. But Barry said something to me before he left. He told me I needed to find a way to move passed what Tony did to work with him. As much as I don’t like it, the kid is right, as he usually is about this stuff. With what’s at stake, we can’t afford to fight amongst ourselves. I don’t plan on forgiving Tony, I probably never will. But I have to move passed it or else Savitar wins. You need to do the same thing with Pietro,” Clint told her wisely.

“I’m not sure I can do that. Every time I look at Pietro, I remember that Barry isn’t here with me. And I know that he thought he was helping me, but damn it, he didn’t think! Just like always, he didn’t think and now, the father of my baby is gone! I don’t know how to get passed that Clint,” Wanda vented and Clint said nothing, simply let her vent.

Before Clint could try to figure out what to say, his phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw Natasha’s name flash across the screen and answered it.

“Yeah Nat?”

Star Labs  
Later in the afternoon

“So, who is this guy exactly?” Clint asked as the Avengers and Team Flash looked at the screen, where Cisco had brought up an image of Roy.

“He was Oliver’s partner a few years ago, his Wally basically,” Cisco explained and they nodded, showing they were following. “Oliver was framed for murder by a guy called Ra’s al Ghul. I’m not sure about all the details, but Roy took the fall for him and then faked his own death. He’s been in hiding, living under fake names until now.”

“Why would Savitar want Roy? What’s his endgame?” Tony wondered.

“Only one person can answer that,” Bucky said and Tony clenched his fists, the sound of Bucky’s voice getting him angry.

“Well, I doubt Savitar is gonna be very chatty. But I know someone who can give us a good guess,” Cisco said.

“Cisco, the whole reason Barry locked himself away was so Savitar wouldn’t get new memories,” Sam reminded him.

“I don’t think Barry is who Cisco had in mind,” Caitlin said, catching onto to what Cisco was thinking.

“Wally, be a dear and go grab Oliver,” Cisco told the speedster.

Wally nodded, grabbing his suit off the mannequin and speeding off. About thirty seconds later, Wally sped back a confused Oliver with him, still dressed in a suit.

“What the hell?” Oliver wondered looking around at those he knew and those he didn’t.

“We need your help Oliver,” Cisco said, gesturing to the screen.

Oliver turned around and saw Roy’s image, firing an arrow at an innocent man. Oliver’s expression hardened.

“Start talking.”

Argus prison  
Same time

“You’re right; I am lying about some things. But how did you know?” Barry asked curiously.

“I could smell it on ya,” Logan said, staring up at the ceiling. 

Barry eyed his cellmate wearily. Somehow, Barry got the feeling Logan wasn’t joking. While a few years ago, he would have had a list of endless questions for Logan, he knew Logan was not a man who would take that well. If Logan was going to share, it would only be of his own free will. 

“Look kid, if you have certain parts of your story you don’t wanna share, that’s your business. But don’t lie to me about it,” Logan said as pulled himself into a sitting position, staring at Barry stonily.

“Okay, I won’t,” Barry promised.

There was a silence in the cell after that. Barry desperately wanted to fill it, hating silence.

“So…how’d you end up in here?” Barry asked without thinking.

Realizing what he’d said, Barry winced, not wanting to fight with his roommate.

“I came to this Earth looking for a woman,” Logan said and Barry started, staring at Logan. And not just because he’s said something, but because of what he said.

“This earth? You mean-”

“I’m from what you’d call Earth-2. Turns out that there are more than one,” Logan said and Barry was silent as he processed this.

“So, um, this woman. Did you love her?” Barry asked awkwardly.

“Not in the way you’re probably thinking, but yeah. She was a friend. Probably the only friend I had in a very long time. She was…lost. I tried to help her but some people, they don’t wanna be helped,” Logan said with a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered the woman in question.

Star Labs  
Same time

“So, Savitar is Barry from the future?” Oliver asked in disbelief.

“It’s a Barry from a possible future, yes,” Cisco explained.

“And he used this…Infinity Stone to gain control of Roy’s mind?” Oliver asked, trying to wrap his head around it all.

“That pretty much covers it,” Tony said and Oliver looked over at him.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Oliver asked.

“Tony Stark,” Tony said only to get a blank look in return. “You’ve never heard of me?”

“This isn’t Earth-66 Tony, there is no Tony Stark on this Earth,” Natasha explained.

“Well In that case, Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist,” Tony said, holding his hand out to Oliver. 

Oliver eyed Tony, deciding already he didn’t like him. He reminded Oliver too much of himself before the island: someone who knew exactly the position of power he was born into and didn’t hesitate to take advantage of that, either uncaring of the consequences or just didn’t consider them. 

“So why would Savitar target Roy?” Oliver asked looking back at the screen as Tony lowered his hand, looking a little miffed at Oliver ignoring him.

“We were hoping you could tell us,” Wanda said.

“Why not ask Barry? Where is he?” Oliver asked as he noticed the absence of his fiend and how everyone tensed. “What happened to Barry?”

“When he discovered that Savitar was him, he decided, to avoid the risk of Savitar receiving his memories, he would place himself in Argus custody,” Steve said quietly and Oliver stunned.

“Yeah…sounds like Barry, always thinking of others,” Oliver said softly as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

“The point is you know Barry and Roy pretty well. Can you think of why Savitar would want to use Roy in his plans?” Natasha asked and Oliver was silent as he considered her question.

“If Barry’s as far gone as you say Savitar is, then he probably needs Roy for something. He wants to use Roy’s skills for something. What, I don’t know but it can’t be anything good,” Oliver said as he frowned, staring at his former student’s image on the screen.

Argus base  
Same time

Argus agents were firing at the enemy when a red arrow hit one of them in the chest. Roy rushed in, firing another as he pulled out a flechette, throwing it at the other agent as the last one was hit by his arrow. Roy moved passed the dead agents, moving towards a room down the hall. Another agent jumped out from around the corner, opening fire on Roy. Roy dodged before firing another arrow, getting the agent in the shoulder. As he neared the agent, Roy notched another arrow and fired, killing the agent. 

Roy entered a room, which was empty, save for a table and a large brief case. Roy notched an arrow and fired at the brief case. The arrow head detached for the arrow and sunk into the brief case, mechanical wiring sticking out. After a moment, there was beep and Roy walked over. He yanked the arrow off and opened the briefcase. He picked up what was inside, a large, tubular container that was holding something black.

“Hello Venom. My master needs you for his plans. It’s time for you to be of use,” Roy said and the black substance inside shifted into a monstrous face, which roared at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is pretty good at reading people, as he was able to determine that something was ‘off’ about Wells/Thawne after only a few minutes of meeting him for example. And I don’t think Oliver would be a big fan of tony, mostly just because Tony would remind Oliver too much of himself before the island.
> 
> Yes, Venom is here, but only the symbiont. Don’t expect Eddie Brock to show up as well

**Author's Note:**

> So, what do you think? Should I continue or not? Let me know in the comments.


End file.
